Please remember
by DaaNi-ChAn
Summary: She realizes that she had fallen head over heels for a certain redhaired visitor in a matter of a few days. What happens when someone decides to pay the Yamanaka's a visit? Don't like, Don't read. Please R&R. UPDATED: Sequel is up!
1. Author Note

**Author Note: **

Ok, I'm updating this page because there are some changes. 

**Pairs:** Gaara x Ino, Naruto x Hinata, Sasuke x Sakura, Shikamaru x Temari, Neji x Tenten, Kakashi x (?), Lee x Kagome (Inuyasha), Might, I repeat, MIGHT be some implied Deidara x Itachi.

Kakashi's pairing is a surprise at the end. I'll give you a hint, **Read chapter 4! **And it's NOT ANKO! Because I felt that she's more of a friend than a girlfriend

**Disclaimer:** Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto and it's not by any means mine. Only the story is mine because it's created in my head.

In this story, Gaara is Kazekage, Sasuke hadn't left Konoha and yeah, it's a bit OOC but I think you'll like it. Gaara is back to his murderous, monstrous self in the last couple of chapters

Please **Read & Review**


	2. Chapter 1: Morning

". " Speech

_Italic_ Thoughts

**Bold & Underlined** Author Note

**Please remember, Chapter one**

It was a beautiful, sunny day at Konohagakure, birds were chirping, kids were playing around & the ex-team 7 members, Naruto, Sasuke & Sakura, were hanging out near the Ninja academy. Naruto was sitting at the swing, each leg at a side!

"So, what are your plans for today, Guys?" Naruto asked while rocking his feet to the front and back.

"I don't know. I might do some training with Tsunade-sama. She says that I can get stronger with healing others." Sakura said, playing with her now longer hair while sitting on the ground next to Naruto. Sasuke sat on the branch of the tree, leaning on the Tree itself…well, Doing nothing actually, not even considering in participating in this conversation.

"Hmmm…" Naruto closed his eyes **(one of those times when he closes his eyes and they look like Teuchi's eyes)** thinking. "….Perhaps Ero sennin wants me to train harder on my Chakra control &…."

"What's the deal with Ero Sennin? Isn't he one of the three legendary Sannins?" Sasuke said, Interrupting, coming down of the Tree & Standing next to Sakura.

"Ya, well I like calling him that since he IS one big Ero sennin. Heeeee" Naruto laughed at the memory of the time where he first met Jiraya, recalling how he used to peep on naked women so as to be 'inspired' to write a new volume of 'Icha Icha Paradise'. Now that he's mentioned it.

"I have an Idea; let's go say hi to Kakashi-sensei. It's been a while, I have so Much to tell, So much to do... things I haven't done in a while…" Sakura & Sasuke looked puzzled…

"PRANKS!!" Naruto said jumping on the swing, then seconds later falling face down with a Big 'THUMP'.

5 years later, a 16 years old Naruto still loved to pull pranks on others. Let's say it's a habit of his.

"Hahaha…" Sakura laughed pointing at him while Sasuke mumbled 'Dobe' under his breath.

"I HATE YOU TWO" Naruto said getting up, thanking the Hokages for creating Forehead protectors. The look on Naruto's face caused Sakura to laugh even harder while Sasuke had a serious look on his face, but with a hint of a Smile.

"I'm sorry Naruto. But that was funny. I imagined you'd do that." Sakura said getting up and dusting the dirt off her dark red dress.

**(The same one from PART I but she's older. So she has another one)** Naruto was walking –more like marching- away, hands in his pocket!

"Hey, where are you going?" Sakura yelled.

"I'm going to train a bit." Naruto said without looking back, only raising his hand as 'see you later'.

"Humph…" Sakura said resting her hands on her waist, "…I swear sometimes I don't understand this kid. One minute he's all hyped and ready for pranks, the next minutes he's all serious"

"It's been a while; you should've understood him by now. But I agree with you, He IS weird." Sasuke said walking away casually. Sakura just stood there with a blank look…

"_ALRIGHT, DAMN IT!! Sasuke agreed with you_" yelled Inner Sakura.

"_Oh, you shut up_" Sakura mentally yelled back!

**Barb-Q restaurant, Chouji's fave Korean Restaurant (was it Korean? That's what I read).**

"Oi, bring me another one. I'm hungry" Chouji said, Asuma & Shikamaru were still wondering where all this food goes. Ino, who was sitting next to Chouji, slid away when the food came. She was actually starting to feel sorry for the poor animals eaten by Chouji; it's a massacre **(Sorry Chouji fans, not insulting. I actually like him )**

"Chouji, if you kept eating this, you'll end up dead" Ino said, of course being ignored by Chouji who's almost done with the new plate.

"How troublesome…" You can guess who said that, actually Sighed them. The 16 years old Lazy Ninja put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Ino, Leave him. You know his extra weight gives us the Advantage" Asuma said mentioning the (Nikudan Sensha), "besides…" he continued, Drank his cup of tea then put the cup down "…it's genetic, he's a smaller version of his father. he's only a big boned guy, Not Fat" Asuma explained.

"That's Right" Chouji said, stuffing more food in his mouth.

"Asuma-sensei, you're half right about that" Shikamaru said putting his hands on the table.

"What do you mean?" Chouji said food still in his mouth.

"CHOUJI, PLEASE, Swallow before you talk." Ino was disgusted. The food was literally jumping out of Chouji's mouth

"You know, I'm not bothering myself by explaining, it's too troublesome" Shikamaru said, getting up and walking away. "Thanks for Lunch, Asuma-sensei"

Asuma nodded as a reply while they watched Shikamaru walk away, Ino looked out the window. The sky was clear, the weather was nice. She lowered her vision to see a man walking with his two twin 5 year old boys, who were playing with little balloons, they were happy. She smiled at the view. Turning her vision to her sensei who has now lit a cigarette and still studying Chouji's case. Ino took a look at Chouji, and smiled.

"He sure has a huge appetite" Ino smiled drinking her tea as well, Chouji was now done with his plate, sighed and leaned back in his Chair. "Are you full now, Chouji?" Ino smiled at Chouji. He closed his eyes as if he's concentrating...

"I'm still hungry"... Sweat drops

**Somewhere in a small field in the forest**

"Byakugan!" Hyuuga Neji activates his special Dojutsu and stands with the Gentle fist stance, the famous Hyuuga clan stance. On the opposite side of the field is Tenten, the Young, high pitched Chinese girl stood in her own stance, holding two scrolls in each hand.

"I'm sorry Tenten, but I want to get stronger, so I'm not going easy on you" **(wow, Tough guy)** Neji said, Tenten Smirked, "I'm not expecting you to."

Tenten puts the two scrolls on the ground, "Sōshōryū!" She yells. Two smoke dragons come out of the scrolls and dragons circle around each other. Tenten jumps in the middle of the two dragons and shoot many weapons, Kunai knives, swords, you name it.

"Kaiten" Neji reflects Tenten attacks with ease. Her weapons are now spread on the ground.

"Ok, seriously. Why do we do this everyday since you OBVIOUSLY and easily can defend yourself, you didn't even use 'Hokkeshou Kaiten'" Tenten said.

"I have to get it stronger. You have other attacks, don't you?" Neji said, realizing that he was talking to himself, "Tenten??" Neji looked around _'I didn't know she could disappear like that, she's sure gotten stronger, but not enough'_ he smiled and simply dodged a couple of kunai knives that came from above. Tenten then dropped a few meters away from him.

"Neji" Tenten stood up, looking straight into Neji's Purple pupil-less eyes. "You are strong enough; besides, I think you should train with someone like Naruto. Not me..." Tenten said, collecting her knives in one swift move. Neji had a surprised look on his face _'why is she talking like that, she never spoke up what she felt' _

"I'm a girl, Neji. I need to go shopping, dress myself in nice clothes. It's true that I should train to become like Tsunade-sama who I really think is cool. But I should have some time off, you know" hanging the scrolls on her waist, "see ya, Neji" she runs away.

Neji was still standing there wondering what happened. _'Tenten never dared to cut our training, well, MY training, I'm only using her as a training machine, i should stop that. She sure has gotten stronger, now.' _Neji thought.

"Well, that's it for today" Neji looked at the Sky & figured the time by the sun's position, "it's still around 1pm I guess" Neji looked at the ground. He usually trains till sunset. _'Now that Tenten is Gone...well, I can't practice my Kaiten on my own, I need someone to help'_

What is he going to do now?

"I have 3 or 4 hours of free time… hmmm" he thought of something to do, but nothing came out. "Man, I should get some time off... Get a life, like they say" he tightened the knot of his Forehead protector and walked off, hands in his pockets **(why do they always have their hands in their pockets? I think it's cool XP)**

**THAT'S IT FOR CHAPTER 1. Too long, too short, too stupid??? Please R & R. Suggestions and Advices are welcomed, Flames are sprayed with water, don't want them... I know there're a lot of typos and mistakes with grammars but bare with me, I'm not native English!!!**


	3. Chapter 2: Naruto's Daily Life

**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Naruto, blah blah blah!

Thx for RaMenAddicT for the review, I will continue with the story.

**Please Remember, Chapter 2**

After the lunch at the Barb-Q restaurant with Asuma-sensei & Chouji, Ino had no better work to do than to go to her Family's Flower shop 'Yamanaka Flowers'. _'I could arrange the flowers, help my parents instead of wasting time' _she thought. On her way home, she took a look at the road she chose to take. It's a busy street, full of people from all over the village, shopping, buying food or drinks, having lunch… everything that a person can do on this street.

'_I know who I'm going to find here'_ she smiled when she looked at a **_Specific ramen restaurant _**and Continued walking home.

**Ichiraku Ramen Bar**

Our beloved Uzumaki Naruto was having lunch there. Of course, his all time favorite food is Ramen, "Ayame-san, please bring me more" Naruto yelled, raising his 10th...No, 11th bowl of Ramen.

It's true that he told Sakura & Sasuke that he's going to train, but part of Naruto's training consists of eating more than one bowl of Ramen.

Ayame, the Daughter of the Owner of Ichiraku, pours some Ramen in Naruto's bowl. "You know, I think we should make a discount for our all time customers. Like giving them a free bowl for every 20 bowl they eat, we could give them a counting-card for us to check every time they have a bowl" Ayame leaned on the Counter, talking to Naruto.

"Yeah, that would be a great Idea! But it would get better if you gave me a free-for-life coupon. I'm a regular, you know, hehehe" Naruto Chuckled as he **'drank'** the Ramen. **(Seriously, I've never seen someone eat noodles or Ramen like That)**

"Well, well, if it isn't Uzumaki Naruto. See, Hinata? Didn't I tell you we'd find him here? It's like the guy lives here." a certain 17 year old said with an evil grin. On his face was also two red marks on both cheeks & a cute dog sitting on his head, you should know who that is.

Naruto turns around to see the ex-team 8: the guy mentioned earlier, Inuzuka Kiba. Behind him were a mysterious young man with sunglasses on, named Aburame Shino & a petit but beautiful young woman – who was now as red as a tomato – with purple pupil-less eyes & long dark black/blue hair, the Cousin of Hyuuga Neji, named Hyuuga Hinata.

"Whoa, hey Guys. Long time no see!" Naruto said ushering the guys to sit next to him.

"Welcome to Ichiraku Ramen Bar, please have a sit and we'll bring you the menu right away" Teuchi, owner of the Ichiraku Ramen Bar, and the father of Ayame said. Shino & Kiba sat on Naruto's right while Hinata sat on his left.

"I'll have one bowl of beef Ramen…" Kiba said raising his hand, Akamaru barked once, "…Oh I forgot, make them two, sorry Akamaru." Kiba smiled at his Pet companion, Akamaru had what looked like a smile on his face and barked again.

"How do you understand him?" Naruto, who surprisingly stopped eating,

"Well, my family had him when I was born; he's my own Ninken **(Nin-dog)**. My family, the Inuzuka Family, is known to use and train dogs to aid us in battles or in normal days like these boring days…" Kiba leans closer to Naruto and whispers, "…I actually understand him more than Shino, that guy is still unbelievably weird to me, him and his little female bugs." Kiba moves away with a goofy smile on his face and acts like nothing happened.

"I heard that!" Shino exclaimed, "I had one of my bugs eavesdrop on your conversation" Shino said, "I'm not ordering today, thank you" Shino said putting down the Menu.

"You know that eavesdropping is rude" Hinata said, (**FINALLY SHE SAID SOMETHING)** "I will have diet Ramen, Please" Hinata politely said, handing over the Menu.

"That right! I will not accept this on my team" Kiba said proudly. Naruto was actually Sweat dropping **(You know those blue lines that appear on someone's head in these situations? Yup, that's them)**

"It's not even your team..." Naruto said "it's a whole team, a one man's team." he said giving the bowl to Teuchi "…thank you, Gi-san" Teuchi, replied with a smile.

"That's what you think, Shino here…" pointing his finger directly in Shino's Face, shino Mumbled 'how rude' "…Thinks that this team is his, which is completely not" Akamaru barked, "I'm glad you agree with me, Aka" Kiba said ruffling his pet's hair – which was now in his lap.

The Ramen Bowls arrive. Kiba places one bowl in front of him and the other in front of Shino.

"I did not order anything" Shino said looking slowly at Kiba.

"What? I'm sorry?" Kiba replied, Shino gave him 'the look', Kiba swore he could see through his sunglasses _'I wish I'd see that guy's eyes for once, how can he see through these?' _Kiba thought. He decided to play a little game, little sneaky.

"Oh, That! That's not for you, that's for Akamaru" Kiba said, the next thing you know, Akamaru is eating from the bowl that was placed in front of Shino, _'He's a dead man'_ Shino though. "I have the right to put the bowls wherever I want because I am the leader" Kiba said, sipping from the bowl. "Oh, grow up" Shino mumbled, "What did you say??" Kiba yelled!!

Naruto was sick and tired of those bossy couple. He looked the other way to notice that Hinata already finished her Ramen and sat quietly, he decided to start a conversation.

"Oi, Hina-chan" Naruto called for Hinata, she looked to be in a trance, and Naruto's voice brought her back, she realized he called her 'Hina-Chan' so automatically, she turned beet red.

"Hai, Naruto-kun?" she replied, putting her index fingers together, finding the ground interesting.

"Since you're done already, how about we go for a walk?" Naruto said, rubbing his neck and feeling a little bit embarrassed.

"Um…I-I'd love t-to, N-Naruto-kun" She stuttered with the words, barely whispering them. She was looking on the ground, being as shy as always. She didn't notice the brightness in Naruto's eyes, he knew that she liked him, but she didn't know that he liked her back.

**THAT'S IT FOR CHAPTER 2, YAY, I almost got this Couple together.**

**WHAT DO YOU THINK? I think it's too short, please review & Be nice XD.**


	4. Chapter 3: Afternoon In Konoha

**DISCLAIMER:** sighs & says the words in a whiny way No, for the 3rd Time I do NOT own Naruto or the Characters, but I do own their Behavior since they are NOTHING like the ones in the anime, & I own this Fic cuz it's MINE!!! Happy now?

**WARNING:** Some incidents might not have occurred in the Anime. But I have my alternative world here, mind you?

Thanks for 'The Dream Talker" for the review. It's actually a motive to see good reviews like these, thank you. I know it's too short but I'm trying my best, I'm coming up with the Ideas Right now. I sleep on this story. Tonight I'll dream about Chapter 4, hoping that I'd get a long, good one!

**Helping Stuff:**

"Regular" --- Speech

_'Italic' _--thoughts

**(Bold and Underlined)** --- Author Note

**_'Bold and Italic'_** -- Inner self

**OTHER STUFF YOU SHOULD NOTICE: in each Chapter I write, the name of each chapter is the name of one of songs in the Naruto Soundtrack. Cuz in each episode that I write, I listen to each song with the name of the Chapter, Get it?**

Looks around & sighs well, guess I'm talking to myself again. ON TO CHAPTER 3.

Anyways, Please Enjoy!!

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**Please remember, Chapter 3**

It's almost afternoon in Konohagakure; Most of the Chuunin's were home. Some of them were training; others were taking care of flowers in their own flower shop. A certain girl was collecting flowers from a near-by forest and a young man was collecting bugs, the hot-headed 16 year old was training his pet dog. They were all doing everything they loved to do or felt good by doing it.

Except for 17 years old Rock Lee, You could recognize this kid out of all of Konoha's residents by three things: thick eyebrows, green jumpsuit & shiny bowl haircut. Lee was in the hospital for breaking his leg –Again- while training with his former sensei, Might Guy **(Maito Gai).**

"LET'S EAT!!I missed this!" Lee yelled a very happy Lee; almost jumping out of bed, except the cast on his leg was an obstacle. Guy-sensei brought Lee some food from a near-by restaurant. Since lee almost got sick of the hospital food.

"Thank you, Guy-sensei. I always knew you cared for me" Lee said, Face covered with waterfalls of tears, lips quivering, right hand in a raised fist.

"Lee, I always believed in you. I believed in the power of youth, and you're like a son to me, I will do everything I can to see you back on your feet." Guy said, the same tears rolling down his face. Both broke down and hugged each other.

"Well, C'mon my youthful friend. Eat up; you don't want to waste your time like I did. My youth powers are fading but you are still a flower in the spring of life, and I'm the fountain of love & care that will keep on watering this precious flower" Guy said, while watching his miniature eating up all the food. Lee looked up to his sensei and raised his hand in a Salute "Hai, Guy-sensei, I'll make you proud." He said with a glitter in his eyes and continued eating.

_'He still has this flame in his heart. He's going to be a strong young man. I can already tell' _Guy thought. Lee looked at his sensei with a big smile on his face. Guy smiled back and continued eating.

**In some place in Konoha**

Sasuke sat on the ground leaning on one of the trees, the tree was facing the mountain of the Hokages, Tsunade-being the Fifth Hokage- is having her face carved next to the fourth's.

'_Yondaime…' _Sasuke thought. He heard once from Jiraiya that Fourth had a personality that resembled Naruto's, not only that. They both have the same blond hair, same blue eyes and same blood-type. Sasuke had those mixed in his Mind, Could the fourth be…?

"Sakura!" Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted to see Tsunade-hime about 15 meters away from him, holding something in her hand. Sakura ran next to her and took a look at what's in her hands; Sasuke noticed a look of Sympathy on her face. He used his Sharingan to take a closer look at what in Tsunade's hands. He saw a little bird which was injured. Though the distance was big, he could clearly hear the conversation.

"Sakura, now that I've taught you how to become a good medic-nin with healing techniques, Try healing this little bird. That would be your first test." Tsunade said, handing over the bird to Sakura.

"What? Me… but I-I don't know if I can do this" Sakura looked a bit scared. Tsunade motioned her to sit down on the bench near by.

"Concentrate deep enough and let the fear out of your heart. You can do it" Tsunade said, giving Sakura a reassuring grip on her shoulder before walking away.

"I've got some business to take care off, Sakura. I'll be in my office". Sakura nodded then looked at the little bird, which was almost looking up as if it was saying 'help me, please'.

Sakura sighed. "I guess I can do this" she closed her eyes; green aura appeared around her hands, engulfing the little bird too. _'Please, please, please…'_ Sakura mentally begged, though she was good at learning & controlling her Chakra, she was afraid of failing. Tsunade was watching her at a near-by corner._ 'She's got potential; she's going to be a good Medic. She reminds me of my younger self' _Tsunade said after noticing that the bird was healed.

Sakura opened her eyes, to see the bird was flapping its wings. She smiled _'I did it!' _she thought. **_'Alright, Damn it. I'm Haruno Sakura. I'm the greatest Medic ever',_** Inner Sakura mentally yelled.

Sasuke was watching Sakura; he didn't notice there was a smile on his own face. He saw her raise her hands a letting the bird go free and back to his home wherever that was. She rested her hands on the bench and leaned back, smiling & being proud of what she has accomplished so far. She tilted her head to the side. In a split second, she looked at him.

_'Sasuke-kun? What is he doing here? Why is he looking at me? That look, those sharp, cold eyes. Still make me drown in them, even Now. Oh, I should look away' _she mentally kicked herself out of his eyes and tried to search for another thing to look at. She could feel his gaze upon her. She couldn't help but to look back, she was right. He was looking at her, but his look was softer, he smiled at her.

_'He smiled! He actually smiled? TO ME!!!' _Sakura thought, a surprised look on her face. The famous Uchiha Sasuke, The heartthrob of Konohagakure **(for most teenage girls, Maybe)** was looking right at her, smiling to her. _'Wait a minute, Maybe that's Naruto. He did it once'_ Sakura glared at him. His look changed, more into a puzzled one, he looked around.

_'Nah, that can't be. If that's Naruto, he would've been here trying to get me by now' _she evilly thought. He looked back at her, with a look Sakura didn't understand, he looked like he was talking to her, his eyes held a question she couldn't quite figure.

_'Why was she looking at me like this? I knew I shouldn't have smiled to her. I never do that. I can't forget the time I told her that she was annoying, Man that sucked, that's why she gave me that look, she hates me.' _he thought, looking at his feet, then looked back at Sakura, who was know having the biggest smile on her face, Sasuke looked back and smiled till he grinned.

_'she's cute when she smiles' _he mentally kicked himself _'You probably looked like a fool grinning like that, baka' _he scolded himself, but he looked up at her again, she was still having that smile that he always thought was amazing. She giggled, got up and walked away. Leaving Sasuke puzzled about the moment they've just had.

**Sunagakure, inside the Kazekage building**

It wasn't a very good day at Suna. Wind was hitting the village everywhere. After all, it was a Desert. The young Kazekage was looking outside the window of his office, being as calm as ever. _'It will calm down soon'_ he thought. The peaceful moment was cut short by a knock on the door.

"Come in" replied the Kazekage.

"Kazekage-sama…" The medium built guard, Yoshiro **(not good at Japanese names so I'll make them up)** began "… a letter for you from the fifth Hokage of Konohagakure" he said walking to Kazekage's desk and placing the letter upside down. Kazekage looked at it; _'To Kazekage of Sunagakure'_ was written in Kanji. He nodded to Yoshiro as a dismissal signal. Yoshiro bowed and walked out of the office, The Kazekage sat on his chair, reached for the letter and opened it, and he read:

_Dear Kazekage: _

_We'd like to have you here at Konohagakure to Discuss a Suitable plan to bring peace & Harmony to both Suna & Konoha, to fix the situation between the two villages after the incident that had occurred. We hope you accept this invitation. _

_With respect  
Fifth Hokage_

Kazekage folded the peace of paper and put it back on the desk. He intertwined his fingers and rested them on his chin. His bright blue eyes were closed, the sleeves of the black shirt he wore clung to his arms perfectly, His red hair as wild as ever, The Kanji 'Ai' on the left side of his forehead was even brighter than before. He opened his eyes after reconsidering the proposal. He reached for the phone and dialed his home number.

"Hello!" a female answered the telephone with a monotone.

"Temari, pack your bags, tell Kankurou to do so as well. We're paying Konoha a visit"

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**FINALLY, I was able to finish chapter 3… I liked writing this chapter, Especially the Last part, Muahahahahaha **

**Lots of OOC-ness, I know, Sasuke suddenly smiling and all. But who cares. This is MY world and GOD KNOWS how I wish to see this guy smile. He never did on the show, except once when Naruto remembered the ones who acknowledged him, Sasuke was smiling!!!! **

**Erm, we got off the topic here. PLEASE review!!!!**


	5. Chapter 4: Grief & Sorrow

Hai, hai hai hai….Chapter 4 is now officially here. I know, I know…Still doesn't seem like an InoGaara Fic, but honestly, do you want me to go with this Fic or not? Those two are not even in the same village. He will be here in the next couple of Chapters, Nyahahahaha!!!

Today we have a bit of a sad story, Kakashi-sensei's Fans…You're welcome this Chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Watashi wa Do not Own Naruto series. I'm going to be sick of this!

The same rules in the past Chapters apply on this one as well…This one is long so BEWARE!!

**Author Note: there's a part in this chapter called "Konoha's Memorial site". When I wrote that, I was listening to the song "Grief and sorrow". I wrote the words while the song was playing, try listening to it… It's nice!! **

ENJOY!!

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**Please remember, Chapter 4**

The sun was about to set at Konohagakure. Parents were calling their kids for dinner & Bars were ready to start their business **(Yeah, Bars open at night in my Fic P)**

Hatake Kakashi, The 32 years old Genius Jonin was on his way to the nearest flower shop, the nearest being 'Yamanaka Flowers', a hand in his pocket and the other hand holding the new volume of his favorite book by Jiraiya, 'Icha Icha Violence'.

_'Can't wait for the next volume, I'm already nearing the end of this one'_ Kakashi thought. He wasn't the perverted kind of guys, but he liked reading these kinds of stories since he's got nothing else to do, no one to visit. Kakashi's expression was changed to a sad one when he remembered everyone he's lost, his Family, his father & Yondaime-sama, His mentor and leader of his team when he was still a genin, all the way till he became a Jonin. _'Team'_ just thinking of that word reminded him of his ex-team mates, a talented 13 year old genius, Uchiha Obito & a cute little girl, Rin. He smiled as he remembered how she had a crush on him. It didn't need a genius to figure that out.

His was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't notice he already reached the Flower shop; he put the book in his pocket. It wasn't going to look good if he walked in with THAT book in his hands. Though he didn't care, he knew that Ino would be the one in charge of the shop today, and No young girl – except Sakura- has seen him reading that book.

_'It would be a bit impolite'_ Kakashi said as he pushed the door to the flower shop.

"Kakashi-sensei, Welcome to Yamanaka flower shop, how can I help you?" Ino, who was sitting at the counter looking as bored as ever, happily greeted him, it's been a while since she last saw him.

"Hello, Ino." He simply replied, raising his hand as hello.

"Please take a look around, choose the flower you like" She said pointing on the flowers row on the right side of the shop.

Kakashi took a quick look at the flowers and noticed a beautiful, simple flower with baby blue petals & one yellow circle on each petal.

"What is this one?" he asked pointing at the blue flower, Ino took a deep look and answered.

"This is a Blue flag Iris, this flower was hard to find; it is rare but always used. People use it in Burials since it represents Resurrection and life; don't know if that's what you want now." Ino rambled about the Flower, Kakashi looked at that flower _'sounds like a good one'_ he nodded "I'll take two" He told Ino.

Ino chose two Blue irises and wrapped them in a white piece of cloth; he paid for them. "Thank you! Please come again" Ino said waving at Kakashi who replied by raising his hand on his way out.

Ino glanced at the door, "Who is he visiting with that flower?" Ino wondered as she leaned on the counter, she looked at the clock on the wall. "It's 5pm already? That was such a fast, boring day" she sighed and took off her apron, this was the last costumer and she already grew tired of this. "Mom and dad should appreciate what I'm doing, they should now raise my allowance, Hm" she tossed her head to the side so a strand of her hair moved a bit to the side. She put the apron aside and walked to the door, Turned around and took one last time at the shop and turned off the lights, went outside and locked the door tight.

**Near the Hyuuga Mansion**

"Is that what happened, Naruto-kun?" a very happy Hinata asked Naruto who was walking backwards in front of her, hands behind his head.

"Yes, Ero-sennin is one hell of a player. But he's a good teacher. I wouldn't have learned 'Rasengan' if it hadn't been for him. He has a cool way of teaching. I owe him!" Naruto grinned at Hinata who was still blushing from the time he asked her for a walk.

Naruto was rambling on and on and on about his Adventures with Jiraiya, Hinata was listening carefully as he reenacted every part of it, LITERALLY. Hinata was laughing some times at his goofiness. That what made her love him, _'Love him? I don't love him, I just like him…Maybe' _Hinata's pale cheeks turned a very noticeable red, Beet red to be exact.

Since Naruto's rambling didn't stop, they've already reached the Hyuuga Mansion, climbed the small set of steps. Both stopped at the doorstep.

"Here we are!" Naruto yelled. Then took a look at the Blushed Hinata, "Hina-chan, are you ok? You look like you have a fever" Naruto stopped walking and put the back of his hand on Hinata's cheek.

"I-I'm ok, N-Naruto-kun. D-Don't …worry about me." She said fiddling with her hands.

_'She's shy as always, she looks really…'_ Naruto thought grinning. "…Cute" Naruto said out loud, Hinata was surprised, _'Did he say cute? To who? For what?'_ Hinata thought, he cheeks turned red for the 1000000000th time.

"You're cute when you blush, Hinata" Naruto blurted out the words. _'Uh-oh'_ he thought.

"M-m-me?" Hinata stuttered, sweat was almost formed on her forehead. Naruto's hand cupped her cheek, caressed it with his thumb then lowered it back to his side.

_'If she's going to be shy all the time, and I'd be too embarrassed to Confess how I feel, None of us will get the courage to say it'_ Naruto thought, having a very Serious look on his face.

"I really like you, Hinata" Naruto said looking at the ground, though he knew she liked him. He didn't know how she would react.

Hinata eyes were almost going to pop out of their sockets,_ 'he likes me, he said he likes me, oh my god.'_ Hinata had a lot of thoughts going through her head. _'What should I do? What should I say?' _Hinata fiddled with her hands again, _'I know what I should do, well, Maybe…' _she thought, she looked at Naruto and smiled a nervous smile, Leaned in and gave him a small peck on his Cheek.

"I-I like you too, Naruto-kun. I-I'll See you tomorrow." She said, blush on her cheeks and her index finger bumping into each other again. She unlocked the door to her house and walked in, Smiled one last time at Naruto and closed the door.

"What did just happen?" Naruto mumbled, touching his right cheek, where Hinata just kissed him. He grinned and ran to the small set of steps and jumping down.

"YES!" He yelled, bumping his feet together while in the Air and continued running, in the backyard stood Hinata's Father, Hyuuga Hiashi, he witnessed the whole thing. He wasn't angry at his daughter, he was more like proud of her _'my little Hinata has finally come out of her shell, Maybe her hanging out with this Uzumaki Naruto wasn't such a bad idea after all' _he thought, smiling then going back to the yard.

**Konoha's memorial site**

Kakashi walked to the memorial that was in the middle of the forest, the flowers he bought earlier were in his hand. He stood in front of it, looking at the names of the lost ones, there are many of them. A lot were lost in the recent attack at Konoha. Their 3rd Hokage was lost in that Attack, he was killed by the Damn Orochimaru, "Hokage-sama, I promise. I'll hunt him down and avenge your death" Kakashi said, putting down the flowers. He wasn't here for the 3rd alone. He was here visiting someone else as well, his former comrade, his dear friend, the former owner of his Sharingan Eye. Kakashi's visible eye narrowed in sorrow, remembering his Friend, always remembering that he wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for him, For Uchiha Obito. Kakashi just stood there reminiscing some good times with Obito and Rin…

_Flashback: _

_A sunny day at Konoha, one of the teams was in the forest. Fourth Hokage stood there, looking at his students, His team; Team fourth. Little Rin, the brown haired cute Kunoichi was wearing a small purple Kunoichi jacket with a yellow belt and had a red marks on each cheek, and young Kakashi, who was wearing a black shirt with two grey belts across his chest, were there. Fourth smiled at Kakashi, 'that kid already acts like a ninja, covering his face with a mask. I believe he will be a true shinobi someday, a good man as well, Maybe become a Hokage' Fourth smiled at the thought. _

_"Sensei, how long do we have to wait?" Young Rin said in a high pitched voice. Kakashi stood there with a bored look in his eyes. _

_"We'll wait until your other teammate arrives. We can't start training unless everyone's here", Fourth spoke up, raising his finger while speaking. _

_"Gomen, Gomen, Gomen, Gomen. Please forgive me for being late, Sensei!" Young Obito said running, the young boy had his goggles on his head. _

_"You're late…again" Kakashi finally spoke in a childish tone _**(Can you imagine Kakashi as a child, I don't!)**

_"I'm sorry, Kashi" Obito nicknamed his friend, his hand rubbing his own neck. Kakashi sighed. Obito looked at Rin whom he had a crush on. "Good morning, Rin-san" he politely greeted his friend. "Hi" was the only reply he got from her. He felt disappointed but he never let it show. _

_"Sensei, are we starting the training now?" Rin asked, "There's no training, you're all going to take a rest because tomorrow you have a mission, that's what I came here to tell you today" Fourth told them, hands behind his back. _

_"Cool, what kind of missions!" Obito said happily, he was very hyper at the age of 13. _

_"An "A-rank" mission" Fourth said with a serious tone. The three youngsters had a surprised look on their face that soon was replaced with a serious look. _

_"they gave this team that mission because they believed in you, you are the best team in Konoha, and if this mission succeeded, you would be the heroes who saved Konoha" Fourth said, changing his Expression to a happy one, Not wanting the kids to realize that this was a very dangerous mission. _

_"Go home, kids. I will tell you the details tomorrow. Dismissed" Fourth said, walking away. _

_"YES, Our very first mission. I'm going to destroy the Enemy" Obito said, putting the goggles on his eyes & mimicking punches & Kicks in the air. _

_"Kakashi-kun, what do you think of this mission? I hope we succeed" Rin exclaimed, Kakashi just stood there. Wondering whether this mission is safe or not, having a very bad feeling about this… _

_End Flashback. _

A drop of water fell on the ground, soon to be followed by more drops, Kakashi looked at the now clouded sky, 'the weather was fine this morning, and now it's raining.' He thought, maybe the sky was crying, remembering that fateful day, Kakashi Never knew, that during this mission, he would lose his closest friends. When Rin was kidnapped, and Obito sacrificed his life to save Kakashi, The latter's left eye was blinded. Obito had Rin, who was a medical Specialist, to replace Kakashi's left eye with his own, giving Kakashi the Sharingan ability. _'Obito, As long as I'm alive, part of you is alive with me' _Kakashi raised the forehead protector off his left eye to reveal the Sharingan. He Kneeled on one leg, closed his eyes and just sat there while the rain poured down on him, remembering Obito's words, the same advise that Kakashi gave to His team 7:

_'In the ninja world, those who don't follow the rules are considered scum, but those who don't protect their comrades are worse than scum.' _

Kakashi was lost in his thoughts, not noticing that someone else was at the Memorial site.

A strong but soft hand was placed on Kakashi's right shoulder. He opened his eyes and looked to the side to see the 29 years old Mitarashi Anko, smiling down on him. "If you stayed her you're going to catch a cold. If you get sick, you're useless" Anko's stern but Wise **(wise?)** words were simply accepted by Kakashi who covered his left eye again, and got up.

"You're right, Anko. But I'm not going inside because you told me so. I just don't want to be a disability to Konoha" Kakashi put his hands in his pockets, his spiky grey hair was now wet & framing his face, the mask & Clothes sticking to his body. _'He's sure getting a cold, we should get him to Hokage-sama' _Anko thought, secretly admiring his body when she felt that this is inappropriate at the moment. She looked at the memorial stand, kneeled and clasped her hands together in prayer. A few moments later she was done & stood up.

"Oi, Anko" Anko's thought were cut by Kakashi's voice. "Are you coming or do you want to catch a cold?" Kakashi said in a tone similar to hers. Though the mask covered his face, she could see a hint of a smirk, _'Kakashi, stubborn as always'_ She smiled and walked with him side by side back to the Konoha village.

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**Whoa… Chapter 4 is done… I've been writing this chapter since 12 pm and now it's 6pm …please Review!!**


	6. Chapter 5: Alone

Hello again!! 4 chapters already? I feel that I accomplished something, Yet again, something's missing... Dunno

Anyways, On to the usual stuff ...**Sigh**

**D.I.S.C.L.A.I.M.E.R.:** No, No, NO, No NOOOOO!!! I do NOT own NARUTO or THE characters. **Asks around **Do I have to write these stupid disclaimers???

Anyways, rules of previous chapter apply here; what means talking and what means thinking, you know the usual!

Onto Chapter FIVE!!!! Ha!

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**Please remember, chapter 5**

"Damn, it's windy in here" the 20 years old Kankurou – The older of the two brothers who almost painted himself in purple- exclaimed, putting his hand in front of his face to protect his eyes from the sand storm.

"Gaara, it's midnight already, can't we take a break? I can't see in this weather anymore!" The 21 years old blonde haired Kunoichi told her little brother, Sabaku no Gaara, The fifth Kazekage.

Gaara has gotten an invitation from Tsunade, the fifth Hokage of Konohagakure, in which she asked him to visit Konoha to discuss some Issues; they were half way already to Konoha. Depending on this weather, it might take some time.

Gaara stopped, making his brother and sister stop in the process. "Fine" was all he said, then continued on their trip to find a place to stay.

Kankurou walked closer to his sister, "Pssst, Temari." He whispered to his sister who rolled her eyes, even Gaara heard his 'Pssst'.

"What do you want? I'm tired and sleepy and my legs hurt, so unless this is good news, you'd better not tell me" Temari yelled at her brother, touching her fan as a threat.

Kankurou gulped, pulling on the cloth, which held his puppet on his shoulder. His sister is even scarier than Gaara _'no wonder she's still single'_ he thought with a stupid grin on his face, and then he spoke again, "Geez, Sorry. I've been just wondering why Gaara is acting like this?" He asked his sister with a concerned look on his face.

"Like what? Like not being so verbal? That's Gaara for you. Hm, and you call yourself his brother and you don't even know him" Temari smirked at her 'purple' bro. who narrowed his eyes at here.

"Look, all I'm saying is that after what happened a few months ago, Gaara started to open up to us. Sometimes even smiling and joking around with us. But now he's back to his older self ever since he's got that stupid letter…" Kankurou told his sister who just was looking to the ground.

Gaara was listening to the whole conversation. Luckily for them, they've found a place to stay. Kankurou continued with his little 'speech' about Gaara.

"…he's back like he was when Shuka…" "DON'T…." Kankuro's speech was cut short by Gaara, Kankurou gulped, Gaara continued "…Mention its name again, you hear me?" He glared at his older brother who, like the time they were in Konoha, apologized in fear. Gaara glared at his brother for a while then turned back and walked closer to the hotel they've found.

They entered the hotel. It wasn't a fancy one but it'll do for the night. "Welcome to our Hotel…Oh my GOD!" the receptionist was shocked to see the Kazekage at her own little Hotel. **(Yeah, Gaara is Kazekage and everyone knows him. Don't flame me!!!)** "Kazekage-Sama, I'm much honored to have you at my humble hotel, Please…." She turned around and picked a key with a big leather tag chained to it. "…Room 207. This is the best room we have, please enjoy your stay, Kazekage-sama" She said.

Blush on her face. _'He's young alright, but he's cute'_ the young receptionist said, admiring Gaara. His wild red hair, his bright blue eyes piercing right through hers, his broad shoulders, his black outfit, belted with beige leathered one sleeved top, matching the darkness around his eyes & his pale skin. _'He's perfect'_ the girl was drooling all over him **(not literally, that would be gross)**.

Gaara noticed that the girl was 'staring' at him, he quirked his eyebrow, _'Ok, Maybe I should take the key and run'_ Gaara thought, then smiled a bit, "thanks a lot" he took the key from her, only the key wasn't being taken. he pulled the key, she kept holding on to it with a goofy smile on her face, _'Oh for Kami's sake'_ Gaara thought as he snatched the key out of her monstrous grip before looking at his brother who was in actual tears, of laughter. Temari covered her mouth in order to prevent herself from laughing.

**Room 207**

"That was HILLARIOUS. She loved you at first sight. Gaara, will you be my husband?" Kankurou mocked the girl's tone & laughed, jumping on the bed. He and Temari started talking about Gaara's future with that girl, in an attempt to piss him off, they knew that he changed, he wouldn't hurt them. And it wouldn't hurt if he laughed once in a while, but Gaara wasn't even paying attention.

Gaara untied the top holding the gourd to his back and set it next to the door. He took a good look at the room. It was big, a huge master twin bed, across the bed was a big closet that could fit Kankurou and his puppet along with Temari's fan. To the bed's left side was a balcony that had a good view to the village & set in the middle of the big room was A table, on top of it was a vase holding many flowers, Dark blue flowers and purple ones, Gaara Admired them. _'They look nice'_ Gaara thought, though he never cared about flowers, but the color attracted him.

"OH MY GOD!" Temari yelled after going into the bathroom. "What? What? A dead body? I told you this hotel was a bad Idea" Kankurou said jumping off the bed and running to his sister's side. "There's nothing, too bad. No action. It's boring" He said, going back to the room and taking off his hat to reveal his brown messy hair, like Gaara's, only a bit longer.

"This Bathroom is Huge. I'm going to spend the night here" Temari ran to her bag, picked up a few stuff and ran back to the bathroom, closing the door with a slam. A small 'click' was heard indicating that she locked the door.

"Damn, we've only been here for like 5 minutes and she's already taken over the bathroom." Kankurou said as he changed into something more comfortable. Sitting on the bed almost lying down when he jerked himself up, "I would be killed by Temari if I slept on the bed; she's probably wanted to take over it like she did with the bathroom." He said, picking his bag and setting It on the bed, he 'rummaged' through his bag until he found a big cloth that he used for a cover during the times they went on missions and had to sleep in the wilderness.

"Well, there's nothing better than sleeping on the floor. Right, Gaara?" Kankurou laid the cloth of the ground while talking to his younger brother. Gaara did not respond, he opened the balcony door and closed it again, Kankurou saw him lean on the railing and lower his head a bit, as if he's thinking. Kankurou sighed "goodnight, little bro." and he slept on the cloth, using his arm as a pillow and quickly falling asleep.

Half an hour later, Temari got out of the shower, drying her hair with the towel that was in the shower, her hair's length was now to the middle of her back but she always tied it in a messy four-sided pigtails. She was now wearing her pajamas, getting ready to sleep. She looked at Kankurou who was fast asleep, arms and legs spread everywhere. _'Man, he sure is tired'_ she giggled at her brother's sight. She looked for her other brother; he was nowhere to be found. She checked the balcony, _'Not here, either'_. She turned around to find a small note on the bed; she picked it up and read:

**_Temari, the bed is all yours, I'm going out for a while.  
Gaara _**

Temari sighed, _'he hasn't changed at all. After what happened to him at Konoha, Going back is going to be harder than I thought' _She removed the covers and lied down on the bed, covering herself to her chin, rolled on her right and closed her eyes, _'I hope he finds the thing or the one he needs' _she smiled and fell fast asleep.

**The roof**

Gaara has been sitting on the roof ever since Kankurou fell asleep. Even though they managed to get Shukaku out of him, he still hasn't been able to close his eyes. He's still feared to fall asleep. The wind has calmed down, _'just as I expected'_, he looked around. The hotel was on the outskirts of this village, but on higher grounds, he was able to see some of the houses. Most of the houses' lights were turned off. Some of them still had the lights on. "late-sleepers, I guess" he talked to himself; it's been a habit of his. Letting his thoughts take the form of words whenever he's alone.

"Alone, the perfect word to describe my life" he laughed as he wiped some of the sand that has been on the rooftop since the sand storm struck. He remembered when he faced Naruto 5 years ago; he knew that Naruto's childhood was a lonely one, just like his. He remembered Naruto's words:

_'They never forgot me; they acknowledged me when no one did. That's what made me stronger. Fighting for them is what made me stronger.'_

Naruto had friends that acknowledged him, Gaara Had no one. "I wanted to have friends… but no one wanted to be my friend." He said to himself. He only had is brother and sister. The ones he 'started' to trust soon after he became a Kazekage and started to open up to them. But he needed someone else, someone who didn't know about his past, someone to help him change the life he had…someone to take him out of this loneliness.

"That person wasn't in Suna." He held a handful of sand, which slipped in between his fingers as soon as he held it. Sand, he was sick and tired of the sand, surrounding him even when he didn't want to. It was rough, cold and…. "Lonely…" he mumbled, sands never found a place to rest, they always move around with the wind, whether it was a storm or just a breeze…

"I don't want to be…" he said, holding his knees. "…Like the sand". He rested his head on his knees, took a deep breath and exhaled it. Tomorrow they will start their journey to Konoha, only a few miles ahead of them.

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**TADA!! Chapter 5 is over. I know, Gaara OOC-ness & Short story, please don't flame.**

**Forgive my bad English and grammar, I'm not English, you know. But I've been learning since I was 5 **

**This story might be longer than I thought. Cuz I intended to add some stuff about Tsunade and Shizune, a bit of Sasuke x Sakura here and there. But it ended up being a Gaara Chapter. Cuz he's the hero of this story…They've all got their share; I'm just being clumsy, hehehe!! **

**Sasuke:** **Appearing out of nowhere**Thought I'd never find someone clumsier than Naruto.

**TLD:** Oh, shut up Sasuke. I'll take Sakura away from you.

**Sakura:** YOU WOULDN'T DARE. WE FINALLY GOT TOGETHER. SHANNAROOO!!

**TLD:** **To Sakura** NOT YET, BARBIE!! **sighing and scratching her head** where do they come from?

**Naruto:** FROM HERE-TEBAYOO!!! **pointing at a little hole leading to Naruto world**

**TLD:** **looks through the tiny hole along with the other three** You sneaky little rascals. GET OVER HERE **Grabbing Sasuke, Sakura & Naruto and throwing them through the hole** AND STAY THERE!!!

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**Phew, they almost escaped away, but this hole is a good Idea. I might ask Gaara to stay Over, Nyahahahahahaha **

**Please forgive my OOC-ness & my Hyper-ness… Review Please!!! **


	7. Chapter 6: Daylight of Konoha

**D.I.S.C.L.A.I.M.E.R.:** I don't own Naruto-TEBAYOO!

**Ino's mom is making a debut in my story. Since I don't know her name, I'm going to call her: Yamanaka Asuka (since I don't know ANY Japanese names, I'll stick with Asuka. Familiar, ne?!!)**

I also liked the idea of **writing the place of the event** so I'll keep on doing that so you wouldn't be lost!!!

THANKS for **Kirri kitty** & her friend **Kilulu** for the nice reviews... THANK YOU SOO MUCH!!!

This part has more of **Ino** Hope you like it!!

You might wanna check the previous chapters because I updated. **Making everyone 5 years older than the 1st Season**

**WARNING: SOME SWEARING!! Actually only one BUT...Don't say I didn't warn you!**

On to Chapter 6 XD

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**Please remember, Chapter 6**

**Yamanaka residence, 2nd floor.**

Birds chirping, the sound of the raindrops fading as the sun rises to create a beautiful rainbow that went almost as wide as the sky. Ino was half asleep, listening lazily to the birds as they sang their usual melodies, the sun coming through the orange curtain, giving the room a dim light that actually helped people to fall asleep, when all of the sudden the sun hit her eyes, she turned around to see- as she put it-:

"Who opened the God damn curtain??" Ino said getting up, she hated being woken up from a deep sleep THAT way.

"Language, Missy. Watch your language!" Ino's Mom, Asuka, yelled at her 16 years old daughter, hands on her waist. Unlike Ino, Asuka had a short dark brown hair and green eyes, though she turned 42 last month, her body was in a really good shape. Asuka always told her daughter that her father, Inoichi was the reason why she kept her fitness, saying that she wanted to attract him from the very first day. We can all tell that the dieting thing runs in the family.

Of course, Ino looked nothing like her mother, she sometimes wondered if she really IS her mother.

"Gomen, Ma. Just don't wake me up again like that. You know I hate it" Ino got up, lowered her feet to the ground & rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"Ok, Ok. Just try to watch it again." Asuka said, tying the curtains to their hangers to keep them open. She opened the window to let some fresh air in the room. "You should hurry and get dressed, you're the one In charge of the Shop today" she said with a Smile.

"AGAIN? When do YOU get to be in charge?" Ino said in a furious tone, getting up and making her bed. She didn't want her mother to scold her for not making the bed; she really wasn't in the mood for crankiness in the morning. She finished it and brushed her hair.

Asuka sighed, "I'll be in charge whenever I want to. Now hurry up, Customers might be already outside waiting for the shop to open on this beautiful day!" She said taking some fresh air in her lungs. She put a stray strand of her hair behind her ears. She could hear her daughter mumbling 'yeah, yeah. Whatever' while walking away to the bathroom.

"Why don't you appreciate this life? You're always whining about how things aren't good enough. Your father and I tried to get everything perfect for you since you were our only child. What else is there?" Her mom said, sitting on the newly made bed.

"I dunch leed anyshing" Ino said, more like mumbled

"WHAT?" Asuka asked, not understand what her daughter just said.

Ino was in the bathroom brushing her teeth, she spit out the paste. "I don't need Anything, Ma" she washed her mouth and grinned to the Mirror, "You're looking good today, Ino-Chan" Ino talked to herself in the Mirror. **(I guess Gaara and Ino has got this habit of talking to themselves, Crazy people who will fall in love :P)**

Ino's mom got off the bed, "I'll be downstairs in the kitchen if you want me. I made you some cupcakes if you want" Asuka said, walking towards the door. "Thanks, Ma" Ino yells. She opens her closet to check what she will wear today.

"Hmm, so many choices" She looks at her usual but a bigger size of the black Kunoichi outfit. "Nah, I've worn that too much. I should change a bit. Maybe the color" She grins to no one. And looks through the clothes she has, she noticed an outfit she never wore.

"I've never even seen this outfit. Where were you, little one?" Ino talked to the outfit she picked, she decided to wear it for a change. A few moments later, she was wearing a dark blue sleeveless button-up top with a matching short skirt, and net shorts underneath and net knee & elbow holders **(don't know what they're called, the ones they were on their knees & elbows, like Temari's ones)** she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Well, this looks nice" she smiled as she tied her long hair in a low, loose braid and went downstairs.

**Yamanaka Residence, 1st floor.**

Ino went downstairs to see her father, as usual, reading a newspaper on the kitchen table while her mom is making some eggs and pancakes. "Good morning, Dad" Ino greeted her father. "Ah, my princess, Good morning to you too" Inoichi greeted his daughter with a smile, she kissed his cheek. **(Since Ino's the only child, her dad spoiled her a lot)**

"I'm sorry, dad. But I should get going to the flower shop" she said, then she whispered "She'll kill me if I'm late" she grinned, her father laughed. "Now what are you two laughing about?" Asuka said, putting the eggs plate on the table.

"Oh, it's nothing, sweetheart. Ooh, that looks delicious" Inoichi said. Ino laughed, her dad always complimented her mom, says that a man should always compliment his wife no matter what. He told Ino that she wasn't a good cooker in her early days but she's improved.

Ino drank a bit of the oranges juice her mother set on the table, "Well, Folks. I should go now, Ja ne" is what she said before running out the door. "She's a busy girl. I wonder why" Inoichi said looking at his wife who smirked at him.

' **Konoha**** Village****' streets**

Ino walked along the street which was a bit damp because of the rain. In some streets, the water was already drying because of the sun. In other places, where the sunrays couldn't reach (because of the buildings), the ground was still wet, for example, the street in front of the 'Yamanaka flower shop'.

"You have got to be kidding me" Ino said when she saw that water was in a small pool in front of the shop, she sighed. "Don't tell me I should mop away the water" she put her hands in her waist. She sighed and started to unlock the door when she heard footsteps. She turned around to see none other than the laziest ninja in Konoha along side with their Greedy team-mate. "Good morning, Ino." Chouji said, eating some barbeque-flavored chips out of the bag.

"Good morning to you too, guys. Though it's not totally for me" she said looking at the water pool.

"You look like you're in trouble, Ino" Shikamaru said, hands behind his head. "Yeah, I can see that. Care to help?" Ino said, a bit angry.

"Let me see…" He rubs his chin as if he's thinking. "…No" He smirked. _'I knew it, note to self: never ask Shikamaru for Anything'_ Ino thought. "I can do that. If you wanted me to" Chouji said, putting the bag of chips in his backpack.

"Wow, Chouji. Yeah, I'd really appreciate it. See Chouji, You're a nice guy. Unlike SOME people" Ino stressed on the last few words. Shikamaru didn't pay attention. Ino sighed and unlocked the door of the shop, entering it with Chouji & Shika.

"Where can I find the mop?" Chouji said, Ino pointed to the back door. "It's in the back of the store, it's already unlocked" Chouji Nodded and went to the back, quickly found the mop. "I got it!" Chouji smiled, his cheeks puffing in the process. Ino smiled to him as he walked outside with the mop and a bucket. Shikamaru made himself comfortable by sitting on the chair behind the counter. Ino just 'looked' at him.

"What's wrong?" He said, she giggled. "Nothing, nothing at all" Ino said, she wore a yellow apron and picked up a glass sprinkler, filled it with water and started spraying the flowers to make them look livelier. Chouji was outside, mopping the water away. The sun has finally changed its sunrays' angle & blessed this side of the village by shining on it. Its rays coming through the glass made the water on the flowers look like natural dew. Ino was good with flowers, arranging them and all _'guess this runs in the family'_, she thought. She heard the bell on top of the door being rung. _'A Customer already? I guess Mom was right. They do show up early' _she thought. She got up to welcome the old lady.

"Good morning, young man" the old lady said, _'young man? It's either she can't see well or she's totally screwed up'_ Ino thought. Then she looked where the old lady was looking. Behind the counter sat a very shocked Shikamaru. _'That's should make him sit in other people's places'_ Ino evilly Grinned and turned to the flowers again. _'Let's see how he'll handle this'_ Mentally, she was laughing her head off.

"Uh, um…Welcome, ma'am." Shikamaru stuttered out the words, looking at Ino whose back was to Shikamaru. He could clearly see her shoulders shaking. He glared at her. _'Menokuse na'_ he looked up then faked a smile. "How can I help you, Ma'am?" He said.

"I'm looking for some flowers to give for my son and his new wife. I want to show her that I'm a nice woman, instead of being the monster-in-law." The old lady said, laughing with her hand in front of her face. Shika wanted to give her what she wanted but he couldn't find it because he didn't know a goddamn thing about flowers.

"Maybe I can help, Ma'am. If you let me, I can arrange a few flowers for you." Ino politely said. "Oh, thank you, young lady. I can wait" the old lady said.

"It won't take long, Ma'am" Ino bowed to the old lady and started picking up a few flower. While Ino was picking up the flowers, the old lady was already having a huge conversation with Shikamaru. Ino smiled, _'he's nice with the elderly. Maybe he has problems with young ones only, hehehe. That makes you wonder about lots of things.'_ Ino mentally laughed as she picked red & pink carnations, purple & yellow chrysanthemums and yellow orchids. She arranged them and wrapped them in a transparent wrapping paper and handed them to the old lady.

"This arrangement of flowers means Colorful life, which is what you really wish for your son and his wife, I think…" Ino said politely and smiled.

"Those look beautiful…" she smells them, "…and have a beautiful fragrance. And what you said is true, Thank you, young lady" She bowed her head a bit. Ino chuckled and put her hand behind her head, face blushed, "thank you, Ma'am. That's my job" Ino smiled to the old lady.

The old lady paid for the flowers, thanking both Ino and Shikamaru and giving them a very generous tip. After the old lady had left, Ino laughed.

"What's wrong?" He asked, getting up the chair. Ino was straightening her apron and looking at Shikamaru. "You should've seen your face when that old lady asked you for flowers." Ino laughed again.

"That's not funny. Flower caterings are troublesome stuff, not my type of things." Shikamaru said. "They're called flower arrangement, not catering…" they both turned to the door to see Chouji with a bucket half-full of water. "…Catering is for food" he said, going to the back door.

"You should know that, since you're the food expert" Shikamaru said, sitting in a chair in front of the counter. Chouji came back to the front of the shop and Ino sat in her chair.

"Excuse me guys, but I should go now" Chouji said Walking to the front door after waving for his friends.

"Where are you going, on a date?" Shikamaru winked at Chouji. Chouji blushed in embarrassment. "No, it's not a date. I'm leaving with my father today. Chouji said smiling.

"Where are you going, Chouji?" Ino said with a sad look in her eyes. "My dad has this shack on top of the mountain; we're spending a few months there. Meditating and practicing, you know the usual." He said smiling. "Oh, then good luck, Chouji, Don't forget to write" Ino said, Shikamaru nodded to Chouji. He smiled, "I won't, see ya" He said, waving goodbye and going out the door.

"Are you going to leave too?" Ino said resting her chin on her hand, Shikamaru looked at her. Sitting his hands on the counter, "No, I'm not. Do you want me to leave?" Shikamaru smirked. "No, it's fun when you hang around…" Shikamaru blushed; he secretly had a crush on Ino five years ago but started to fade when he became her team-mate. The two became very close friends, another customer came in and the two were ready to help.

**The fifth Hokage's Office**

"Ah, this is tiring. I can't believe I took this job." Tsunade, the fifth Hokage leaned back in her seat. Tons of files and papers are on the desk. It's 7:30 in the morning and she's been working from the night before. She leaned on her desk, her index and middle fingers rubbing her temples, _'though I'm the genius medical ninja of the Legendary Sannins. I can't concentrate hard enough to deal with this'_ she thought, looking at the files in front of her. The file Contained new information about the new appliers for the Chuunin rank, their ages and their abilities. Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi were part of the group. A name caught her eyes…

_Hyuuga Hanabi_

'_So, she's finally ready.'_ Tsunade thought as she remembered little Hanabi, 7 years old but has the will of a 50 year old. _'I guess her father wanted her to become as strong as he is, let's see if she's able to become a Chuunin'_ Tsunade said closing the file and putting it aside. A knock on the door was heard.

"Come in!" Tsunade exclaimed.

A Jonin came in. she had a short brown hair, dark brown eyes and a cute smile. She was wearing the Jonin Uniform, holding in one hand a cup of tea. Her other hand was holding a little Pig.

"Buio" the little pig, Ton-ton, said with a smile on its face. **(Said shouldn't be the word, right?)**

"That's right, Ton-ton. Tea time!" The hyper-active 33 years old Shizune said, putting the tea cup on the desk in front of Tsunade.

Tsunade smiled, grabbing the hot cup of tea and blowing on it a bit to make it cooler. "Thank you, Shizune. You're a life saver." She said drinking a bit of the mint-flavored tea.

"It's my job, Tsunade-sama. Besides, you've been working since last night. It's time you took a break. C'mon, the rain has stopped and the weather is beautiful. Go out and Take some fresh air." Shizune said. A 'buio' sound was heard in agreement.

Tsunade put the cup of tea aside, arranging the files in one tidy pile and setting it on the left side of the desk and getting up.

"You're right, Shizune. I need some fresh air, I don't want to look sleepy when the Kazekage arrives" she said with a smile. Shizune had a horrified look on her face **(you remember the look on her face when Tsunade gambled a lot? Yup, that's the look)**

"K-k-k-Kazekage? Isn't he that Creepy kid from the Chuunin exam? The vessel of Shukaku?" Shizune said, a hand in front of her face **(Don't ask me how she heard about Gaara, but Jonins have their conversations from time to time)**

"Was the vessel of Shukaku, but he's a Kazekage now. And he wouldn't have taken the job if he hadn't been suitable for it. It's been 5 years after all. Time changes people." Tsunade said with a wink. Shizune just sighed along with Ton-ton.

"Ok, I'm going out now. Please inform me if there's anything important." Tsunade said, waving her hand. Shizune bowed then looked at Ton-ton.

"Let's hope nothing happens during his stay here, Ton-ton" Shizune told, smiling at her pet pig. Ton-ton just replied with a "Buio"

**Konohagakure streets**

"Hey guys, wait for me!!!" Young 13 years old Udon yelled at his friend, 14 years old Konohamaru who was running towards the Academy. A 13 year old Moegi was running behind Udon, trying to catch up to the two Genins.

Konohamaru wore a yellow shirt with the Konoha symbol on it, long blue pants and the usual sash around his neck; also on his forehead was the Konoha forehead protector. Moegi wore a dress Similar to Sakura's dark red one, except this was black and grey. Her hair was now longer, tying it in a high ponytail with the Konoha forehead protector. Udon now wore a black shirt with grey pants, got rid of his glasses, recovered from the long-lasting sniffle & he has and now had the Forehead protector Instead of the goggles.

"We can't wait, we should go to practice if we want to become Chuunins" Konohamaru said, looking back at his friends. He didn't notice someone was on his way.

BAM!!!!

Konohamaru fell backwards; Udon and Moegi were running so fast that they couldn't stop in time. The slammed into Konohamaru and all three fell on top of each other. Groans and ouches were being heard.

"You still don't watch were you're going after all these years. Ne, Konohamaru?" a female voice said, mentioning the time Konohamaru bumped into her, mainly, into her breasts.

Konohamaru – who was at the bottom of the pile consisting of the three- looked up to see none other than the ample-breasted baa-Chan that they called Hokage-sama.

"Oh, Hokage-sama…" Moegi Got off Konohamaru and Udon, dusting off her dress and bowing to Tsunade. "…Please forgive us. It's Konohamaru's fault." Moegi said, pointing at the now very angry Konohamaru. He gave her the 'You'll pay!!!' look. Udon got up, adjusting his forehead protector's position.

Tsunade looked at the three youngsters and laughed. "It's ok. No harm no foul." Said Tsunade, now was pinching on Udon's cheeks which were now as red as a tomato.

"Like SHE said…" Konohamaru stressed on the 'She' word. "…it's my fault. Now if you'll excuse us, we have to go to for practicing with Ebisu-sensei" Konohamaru said looking straight into her eyes. After all these years, he still didn't like the fact that she took his grandfather's place and office. But he still respected her for being Hokage.

"It's ok. Don't mind me. Great ninjas should never be late for their missions." Tsunade said, waving her index fingers as a 'No'.

Moegi grinned while Udon smiled and Konohamaru frowned. Both Moegi and Udon saluted Tsunade "Hai, Hokage-sama. We're on our way" both said and ran towards the place where they were supposed to meet with their sensei. Konohamaru looked at Tsunade who was smiling at him.

"Am I free to go now?" he said in a low tone. Tsunade looked at him, eyes narrowed, hands on her hips.

"Hmmm, let's see…" she looked at the sky as if she's thinking. "…I don't think I prevented you from going there." She said giggling in a silly way. Konohamaru's frown was slowly turning into a smile.

"You're a good boy, Konohamaru. And you're going to be great…" she said patting on his head and walking by him. "…Just like your Grandfather." She continued without looking back. Konohamaru's eyes widened as she compared him with his grandfather. He sadly smiled Looking at the Third Hokage's face on the mountain. '_I will be as strong as you were, Grandpa, I promise'_ he thought. Grinned and ran towards his friends.

* * *

**FINALLY...CHAPTER 6 is OVER AND OUT!!!!!!**

**Tell me what you think please!!!!!!!! GAARA is on his way, he's going to make a GRAAAAAAAAAAND entrance!! Nyahahahaha...I'm evil :P**

**Reviews are welcomed!!**


	8. Chapter 7: Confrontment

Whoa… 6 Chapters in less than a week. My fingers are hurting me...LOL!!

Now… I'm seriously thinking of doing this; I'm not going to write 'Disclaimer' today because I'm not in the mood…

But I do not own Naruto:D

Now for the review replies!!

**Kirri Kitty:** Am I glad to see your review! They would meet in the next few chapters BUT they won't be getting together in at least 20 or 30 chapters...LOL, Just kidding!!! I'm kidding; I'll get them together as soon as possible.

On to Chapter 7

**Please remember, Chapter 7**

**Outskirts of Konohagakure**

It was now around noon. 12:30 pm, the three sand siblings were already near Konoha borders.

"How far are we?" Temari who was covering her eyes from the very bright sun yelled, asking Kankurou who was on top of a very long oak tree. Gaara was leaning on its trunk.

"I think we're about 50 Kilometers away…" Kankurou, who had his hand over his eyes as a shield from the sun's rays, yelled back to his sister before jumping down. "…We'll be there in no time." He said, picking up Karasu, his puppet, and tying the sash around him.

"Great, it's been quite some time, thanks to someone who woke us up in the middle of the NIGHT!" Temari yelled, referring to Gaara. "It's still early, if we started our trip on 6am, we'd probably be 120 kilometers the opposite way" Gaara yelled back, pointing his arm the other way. Temari crossed her arms and turned away.

"Ok, just don't yell" Kankurou said, Gaara dropped his arm to his side. "She started it." He mumbled, "Say what?" Temari leaned back a bit, glaring at Gaara, he glared back.

Kankurou sighed as he walked between the two, "Now we'll start the Staring contest" he said as he walked away from the two staring couple.

Temari saw Kankurou walk away "Hey wait up!" Temari said, breaking the eye contact and following her young brother. "You're slow because your fat" Kankurou said, Temari gasped and looked sad, "This outfit makes me look fat" she replied, referring to the white and grey outfit she wore.

Kankurou always commented on how she has a bad taste in clothes. How she liked that outfit that made her look silly – in his opinion. She hated his comments and never paid attention to them.

Gaara just stood there looking at his two – who are supposed to be – older siblings, a smile was slowly creeping on his face. He wasn't a big smiley person, but he smiled whenever he's around those two, their arguments seem to entertain him. He slowly **(REALLY SLOWLY)** followed the two who were STILL arguing about Temari's sense of fashion.

"You're not a good looking guy yourself" Temari smirked at her brother, who nudged her saying. "What is that supposed to mean?" He yelled, still walking alongside his sister. Temari put her hands behind her back and walked a bit faster so she's be in front of him.

"What kind of a guy paints his face PURPLE? Only kids paint their faces, you're 20!!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. Kankurou literally growled. He started to say something when….

"She's right, you know." Gaara said, walking beside his brother now with a smile on his face. Kankurou's head dropped down **(like they do on the Anime, with a big sweat drop on their heads)**

Kankurou sighed and looked up, "Kami-sama, help me out of this, another 50 Kilometers of Temari's babbling and Gaara's silence. I secretly wish they would switch personalities somehow" Kankurou said, more like whispered. Temari laughed at his pleadings.

"Like it would be any better, you'll hate us even more" Temari said laughing, Gaara was smiling but looking at the ground.

"And does the Gracious Kazekage care to join this conversation?" Kankurou said, putting his arm around his young brother's shoulder.

Since they extracted Shukaku, Temari and Kankurou have been a bit more relaxed around Gaara. They weren't as careful with him as before. They were able to live in peace without fearing that their little brother might kill them.

Gaara looked at his brother, "Hm" was the only response he got from him. Kankurou took a long glance at his brother. _'Oh, how I'd love to rip this attitude apart'_ he jokingly thought about his brother with a goofy grin on his face. Gaara was looking strangely at his brother.

"You ok?" Gaara said, Kankurou head locked his little brother's head and ruffled with his hair a bit. "Yeah, I'm cool" he replied, Gaara was chuckling as he was trying to get out of his brother's grip. Temari was laughing at the two. For the first time in her life, Temari felt like she had a big one happy family.

**Konohagakure, Waterfall**

Laughter was heard in the waterfall's lake. Young women in bathing suits, mostly bikini, were playing with the water, splashing it on each other, happily fooling around. Not knowing that on a certain higher cliff was a certain perverted white-haired old man with a notebook, scribbling notes.

"Hehehe. That would be interesting for the new Version of Icha-Icha paradise." Jiraya scribbled more notes while looking through his scope and drooling over the young ladies, his face was all red.

"You're never going to stop, are you?" Jiraya jumped, the note flying out of his hand as he heard someone say those words, he turned around to see none other than Naruto, and the note simply fell in Naruto's hand.

"Oh, it's you" Jiraya annoyingly said. "Give me that back!" Jiraya Yelled at Naruto, trying to snatch the notes away. "Na, you're not getting that…" Naruto smiled, "…Say the magic word" Naruto said with a melody, waving the notebook in Jiraya's face.

"P-p-p-please?" Jiraya questioned. Naruto's expression changed to an evil one. "Ha-ha, Wrong answer." Naruto looked, reading the notebook. Jiraya snatched the notebook out of his hand. "You're not supposed to read that!" Jiraya said. He made sure that the note was safely inside his pocket.

"Ero-sennin. You're 55 years old, why don't you get married and stop staring at other women? Then you'd have a lady all by yourself and you can stare at her as long as you want."

Jiraya thought of Naruto's suggestion. If he got married, he'd be getting the 'inspiration' to write his perverted Novels all the time. 24/7. He had a very perverted look on his face, it was red and he was drooling.

Naruto stared at him _'hehehe, looks like I distracted him for a while';_ he shook his head in disbelief. "Well, I should get going now. See ya" Naruto yelled as he turned around and ran the opposite way, Jiraya wondered _'what could make Naruto run so fast? Maybe he has his own perverted thoughts',_ he thought, taking his scope to watch the young girls again, he checked if Naruto is not in sight.

Poof!

"What?" Jiraya said. His pocket seemed light and empty for some reason; he put his hand in his pocket. _'Nothing'_ he thought, "NOTHING??" He gasped.

"NARUTOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" He yelled after realizing that Naruto made a _Bunshin_ of himself and transformed it into the novel that he gave to Jiraya while he was distracted. "YOU DIRTY LITTLE TALENTED RASCAL!! GIVE ME MY NOTE BOOK BACK!!!" Jiraya yelled. Taking the same road Naruto took.

**2 hours later (didn't know what to put in those two hours so I skipped to the Good part)**

Naruto was smiling in satisfaction of what he's accomplished. The Notebook was safely in his pocket. His Hands were behind his head, he was planning on turning this notebook against Jiraya, Maybe blackmailing him. Naruto walked along the streets of Konoha, looking at the Dango stand. He looked closely to see one of the Jonins. He thought that he should go there and say Hi.

"Good morning, Anko-sensei" Naruto said with a smile on his face. She was holding a plate with 5 skewers of _Botchan Dango_. She greeted Naruto as well.

"Ohayoo, Naruto-kun. It's been a while, you've grown up!" She said happily, holding one skewer and put one ball of Dango in her mouth, using her teeth to remove it from the skewer.

'_It's been a while? She saw me last week, she has a very bad memory'_ Naruto thought with a very disappointed look on his face. Then he replaced it with his usual happy face.

"Yes, Anko-sensei. And you look so…" Naruto paused; he couldn't find the right word to say. Anko waited for a reply. "…Hello, Anko" a female voice said. Naruto sighed, saved by…

"Kurenai, it's been a while. You look great!" Anko repeated the same line. Naruto stood there watching the two females talk about Girly stuff, he shuddered and walked away, saying goodbyes and apologizes to both teachers for having to leave so soon **(he wanted an excuse to get away from the girly stuff talk)**. Anko noticed that Naruto was leaving, she called him back.

"Oh, Naruto…" Anko called Naruto back, Naruto turned around. "Yes, Anko-sensei?" He questioned. "…Jiraya-sama asked about you. He looked angry for some reason" Anko said, Naruto had the Terrified look on his face, Shivering. _'I think I messed with the wrong guy'_ Naruto thought. His thoughts were cut by some kind of foot stomping.

"THERE YOU ARE, NARUTO!" Jiraya yelled, Naruto froze in the spot. His face turned to a very purplish-blue. "Gotta go, see ya!!!!" Naruto waves at the two women, running away.

"Hello, Ladies. Bye, Ladies" Jiraya said to Anko and Kurenai as he passed them, running after Naruto. _'This is going to be a very long day…'_ Jiraya though, _'…being 55 is not easy. I'm going to ask Tsunade about the secret of her youth, but right now, Naruto is the main Target'_ He thought, running faster after Naruto. Both of the two were getting strange looks from the people in the street **(you just imagine it!)**

**Konohagakure's Gate**

Two guards were standing outside the gate; they noticed three figures coming closer.

"Identify Yourselves." First guard yelled. The three stopped. Both guards gasped as they knew who they were talking to.

"Kazekage-sama. Sumimasen, Welcome to Konoha, we've been expecting you." The second guard said, ushering to the guards above the gate to open it.

"Thank you." Gaara said as he entered Konoha with his siblings. Both guards sighed after he'd walked in.

"He thanked us, I though they said he was a cruel, vicious person." Second guard said. The first guard leaned to the now closed gate, "well, maybe he isn't. Rumors spread, my friend. Believe all you see and half what you hear." The first guard advised his fellow guard as they both stood straight, watching for any incomers.

**Yamanaka Flower Shop**

It's been a very good day for business in the flower shop. A lot of occasions are happening in this time of the year. Flowers being an essential, they were bought in dozens. Ino was very pleased.

"Mom and dad are going to be so happy. Look at how much the shop made today." Ino said, holding the money in her hands, to Shikamaru, who was now wearing a very 'PINK' apron that matched his now pink cheeks.

Since Shikamaru decided to stay with Ino during her shift at the flower shop, she made him wear an apron and work with her. He learned a couple of things about flowers, namely; he was having fun.

The door of the shop opened, "good morning Ino, Shikamaru" Asuka **(Ino's Mom, in case you forgot)** nodded at the young two. "Hello, mother. You're not gonna believe it…" "I know sweetheart. And I'm very proud of you two." She interrupted her daughter's good news. Ino smiled, "well, I couldn't have done it without Shikamaru's help. When he's available, he could come in handy" she said, patting on Shikamaru's shoulder, Shikamaru put his left hand behind his head, his cheeks turning into a shade of red. "It was nothing, really." He said, both Ino and her mom laughed, causing Shikamaru's cheeks to turn into bright red but he soon joined the laughter.

Ino's mom chuckled, "well, since you guys worked hard today, you can take the rest of the day off. I'm going to be in charge for the rest of the day." She said, Shikamaru took of the Apron and handed it to Asuka. He sighed. _'Finally, free from the female torment'_ he thought. Ino laughed at Shikamaru's expression as she took of her own apron off and hung it on the hanger near the counter.

"Well, Mom. I think we've done all the hard work. Seeing two young people attracts the customers. But seeing you won't" Ino joked. Asuka glared at her daughter. Ino winked, "Just kidding, Mom. Just kidding" Ino exclaimed.

"She's been in a very bad mood lately. I think it's a very hard thing to raise a daughter. Ne, Asuka-san?" Shikamaru said, he got 'glared' by Ino. She opened the door and shoved him out. Asuka could hear Shikamaru mumble 'women are too troublesome'. She laughed.

"Ah, to be young again." She said, putting the pink apron on. She started arranging the flowers, making them look neat.

**Outside the 'Yamanaka flower shop'**

"FRESH AIR! I love it" Shikamaru said, putting his hands in the air. Ino smiled as she looked up. Though it was raining the night before, the weather seemed to calm down quickly. _'That's a good omen; I guess'_ she thought. "Hey, dudes!" Both Ino and Shikamaru looked to their left to see Kiba with his pet dog. He looked slightly bigger than two days ago.

"Hello, Kiba. Good day, isn't it?" Ino said, Kiba grinned, his fang-like teeth showing clearly. "Yes, it is. Akamaru and I decided to take a walk in this beautiful weather and practice some Dynamic Air Marking" he smirked and Akamaru barked. Both of Ino and Shika thought of it as a new Jutsu, Not realizing that at some point **(when not in a fight)** Dynamic Air Marking is only Akamaru's piss.

"So, where are you two going? A date?" Kiba winked at the two. Ino blushed, Shikamaru smirked. "Nah, I wouldn't go out with her even if she was the last woman on earth."

SMACK!!

"Ouch, what was that for? I was kidding" Shikamaru held the back of his head; Ino had smacked him with a paper fan that appeared out of nowhere.

"That was for the very rude joke" Ino said, putting her left hand on her waist. All of the sudden, the street went very quiet. The trio looked around, Akamaru jumped **(more like stuffed himself)** in Kiba's shirt, he growled.

"Akamaru senses a very strong Chakra" Kiba said, Ino and Shikamaru both looked worried; they saw that people were looking at a certain direction. They all looked at the same direction.

"It's… that sand kid." Kiba said, remembering when they were in the Chuunin's 2nd exam, when Gaara crushed his foes with Sabaku Kyu & Sabaku Soso.

"Sand Kid?" Ino questioned, she looked at the three visitors. All three were walking straight, not looking around, except for Temari who was wondering why people were looking at them like that. Both Kankurou and Temari stopped when Gaara stopped walking.

"What is it?" Kankurou said, looking where Gaara was looking. In front of Gaara was a little ball that hit his leg. A young 6 years old boy came to pick it up, but froze under Gaara's glare. His looks almost made the little kid Cry.

'_He's afraid'_ Gaara thought, remembering his Childhood, 11 years ago.

_Flashback_

_Kids were playing football, Young 6 years old Gaara was sitting on a swing. One of the kids shot the ball very high; it ended up being stuck on one of the houses' roof. Gaara, seeing it was the only way, used his sand to bring it back down. The sand swiftly put the ball in his hands. "Here, this is your ball." Gaara said, smiling. The kids were terrified, they've heard about Gaara and his scary personality. Their parents always advised them to stay away from them. "Aaah, RUN!!" one of the kids said making the whole group run away in fear._

"_Why do you run away?" Gaara said, Changing his expression to an angry one and using the sand to grab one of the kids' leg. She screams in horror. Gaara almost attacked her when his uncle Yashamaru stopped his attack. "Gaara-sama, Please stop." He yelled making Gaara stop his attacks._

_End Flashback_

Gaara's eyes narrowed sadly. The kid was still frozen in place and he was shivering, Gaara's appearance was quite scary. He kneeled and picked up the ball and looked at the child.

"Here you go." He said, smiling. The kid's shivering stopped as he slowly picked the ball from Gaara's hands. The child's mother stood by her son, "Akira, what do you say?" She politely said. The kid looked at his mother then at Gaara. "Thank you, Kazekage-sama" The kid, Knowing Gaara's position in Suna, said. Gaara was surprised, he thought the kid and everyone else would run away in fear, but they did not. Instead, the young boy was thanking him. Gaara smiled sincerely and patted the kid on his head.

"No…" Gaara said, the boy was sad by the reply, and then he continued "…Thank you." He said with a big smile. The little boy smiled with the same expression. Gaara got up and started walking again, the kid staring at them with awe. Kankurou made a peace sign with his hand while smiling at the kid, the boy laughed. People went back to their business.

As they continued walking, Gaara looked to his left, he saw some familiar faces. _'Hm, it looks like they're alive after all'_ Gaara though Looking at Shikamaru, Kiba and… _'Who is that? I've never seen her before'_ Gaara though. He took a good look at Ino. Her blue eyes were staring right into his bright blue/green ones. Her long blonde hair was smoothly falling around her face, framing it like a very beautiful portrait while the rest of it was hidden behind her back. Her blue outfit hung tightly on her body, revealing her curves. Gaara never looked at a girl the way he did to Ino.

'_I never thought such a body lived in Konoha. She sure is Attractive.'_ Gaara thought, smirking at the three. Kiba was shivering a bit, remembering his encounter with the Sand siblings during the 2nd Chuunin exam.

'_That guy. Why was he looking at me like that?'_ Ino thought, wanting to rip him apart. _'No guy checks me out like that and gets away with it. Though, he's kinda cute.'_ She crossed her arms but her right hand (more like fist) was in front of her mouth, never breaking the eye contact with Gaara. _'His eyes are sad… for some reason'_ Ino thought, narrowing her eyes. Then she looked at the ground. He broke the eye contact and kept on walking towards the Hokage's Building.

"Who's that guy?" Ino whispered to Shikamaru. Shikamaru looked shocked, "You don't remember him? He's the guy who fought Sasuke in the last match of the Chuunin examination, the one who put lee in the hospital for quite some time…" He said, "…The other two are his siblings, that girl there. Is the girl that I fought…" "…OH, The one that kicked your butt, yeah I remember her." Ino cut his sentence. He glared at her.

'Arf, Arf.' Akamaru barked. "We're safe" Kiba said, "Ino, that guy became the Kazekage of the Hidden village of Suna" Ino was shocked. "Really? I never knew that!" Kiba and Shikamaru's head dropped. "That's because you're either here or at your home not caring to know about politics" Shikamaru said pointing at the direction of the places he mentioned. Ino wasn't actually interested in Politics and politicians.

"Let's go eat. Akamaru's Hungry" Kiba said while Akamaru barked. "What? Can't this dog of yours stop eating? He's fat already. Look at him!" Shikamaru exclaimed. Kiba gasped, Akamaru growled.

"What? How dare you say that to Akamaru? He's not fat. He's growing up, that's all" Kiba said, ruffling Akamaru's fur. "Besides, he needs attention. He's an important 'person'" Kiba pointed at his pet friend, who proudly barked. **(Could dogs actually PROUDLY BARK?)**

"He's not a person, He's a freakin' DOG" Shikamaru yelled. Ino was partly listening to the conversation, but she was still looking at the back of the Young Kazekage she's just saw.

'_I remember him, he was cruel. Cruel for what he did to Lee. But he's changed, the way he treated that young kid'_ she said, glaring at his back, but slowly smiling.

Gaara sensed someone was looking at him; he stopped and looked back at her. _'She's smiling. She's cute when she smiles'_ He thought, smiling back.

She was lost in thoughts when she noticed that he was actually smiling to her. She gasped and turned around, blushing. Gaara Chuckled. _'Hm, I wonder…'_ He thought and continued walking.

"Hey Ino, you ok? You turned around all of the sudden!" Kiba asked. Ino's back was still to them. "What? No, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, hehehe" she nervously Chuckled.

'_Oh my god, he's gonna think that I'm some crazy assassinate and kill me. I'm a dead girl'_ she thought, her face turned red when she remembered his smile. _'I don't think so, a cute face like that wouldn't kill… WAIT A MINUTE…I did NOT say CUTE, did I? Do I think he's cute?'_ Ino thought, her face turning to a deep shade of red.

She heard laughter from both Shikamaru and Kiba, making her turn around "WHAT?" she angrily said, "You like him, don't you?" Shikamaru asked, arms crossed. Kiba was laughing.

"NO I DON'T!! He's a KAZEKAGE" Ino said, blushing again and crossing her arms.

"So what? Naruto's just a Chuunin and he pulls pranks on both Tsunade who's a THE HOKAGE and Jiraya who's a Legendary Sannin. Sweets, we live in a world where Positions have no…" Kiba stopped for a second, Shikamaru and Ino looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"…what the hell am I talking about?" Kiba said, scratching his head, "I'm not even sure what I was going to say…" He laughed.

Shikamaru looked at Ino. "What our doggie pal here's trying to say is this: Guy like a girl, Girl likes a guy, they fall in love and VOILA. They get married and live happily ever after" Shikamaru said, clapping his hands once.

Ino looked at the two, "What did you guys eat for breakfast?" She questioned them. They were babbling about things that made no sense. "Look, I'm gonna go home and freshen up a bit, I've been working for a few hours straight and I should take a very long shower. See ya" She waved at the two. She heard them say "Yup, she likes him alright!" and laugh. Ino blushed, _'I don't like him. Do I?'_ she thought, hugging her arms.

She reached her home, opening the unlocked door. No one was home; she reached her bedroom and went into her bathroom. She locked the door and turned the hot water on; she took off her clothes, untied her hair and got into the shower. Hot water was washing away the fatigue of the day. She slipped her fingers in her hair, washing it. She dropped her head, looking at her feet, letting the hot water fall on her back.

'_This is going to be interesting'_.

**B.R.E.A.K..L.I.N.E.**

**TADA, FINALLY I'm DONE…11 PAGES ON THE MICROSOFT WORD. My hands are broken now...LOL... hope you're satisfied that those two finally got a chance to like each other.**

**MUAHAHAHA…but I'm intending to make them run into each other…NYAHAHAHA I'm evil!!**

**Please review!**


	9. Chapter 8: Sakura Season

PLEASE forgive my absence. The story uploading page was having some sort of error. So please please forgive me. Plus, I'm having a major writers block. This chapter is going to suck big time. I can feel it.

Thanks to **Kilulu**, **Kerri Kitty** & **everyone else** for the support

and I want to say something before I start this Chapter, This story is simply inspired by the writer **'Ho-sama'** who's written **"Flowers for Gaara"** & it's sequel **"Sand for Ino"** which are **GaaraIno** stories. So, Thx **Ho-sama**..I owe you alot

On to Chapter 8

**Please remember, Chapter 8**

It was now 5pm in Konoha, The sun was almost setting. Sasuke was walking alone in a big field on one of the mountains in Konoha. The nearby cliff had a superb view on Konoha, 6 meters away from the edge was a big beautiful cherry blossom tree that reminded Sasuke of someone dear to him. He smiled at the view.

'_I hope she's got the note'_ he thought as he leaned on the trunk of the 'Sakura' tree.

**Haruno residence**

Sakura was washing the dishes after she and her Family had dinner. She washed the last plate and put it in the Dish dryer. She dried her hand with a towel and hung it near the sink, "I'll be in my room, mother." Sakura said to her mother who was knitting.

"Ok, sweetie. I'll call you down here whenever I need you." Sakura's mom said. Sakura nodded and went upstairs, she opened the door to her room, entered it then closed the door behind her, and she lied down on the bed.

She sighed, "I worked a lot today. I need some rest. I feel like I have no Chakra left." Sakura said, closing her eyes. She's been practicing hard with Tsunade to become a good Medic-nin, came back home to work with her mother and now she felt like sleeping.

Sakura opened her eyes and turned her head to the right. She looked at the picture on the desk, the picture of team 7 Five years ago; beside it was a recent picture of the team and a picture of the same day, but with the other teams. They were all standing in front of Ichiraku Ramen bar; it was on her birthday that they surprised her.

Kakashi-sensei was in the middle, instead of having his hands on Naruto's and Sasuke's head, he had them on their shoulders. Both of them were almost as tall as he was. Sasuke was on the left side of the photo while Naruto was on the right side. Sakura, a little bit shorter, was standing in the middle in front of Kakashi. Both Sasuke and Naruto had one arms crossed with one of hers. She was obviously blushing in that Picture.

In the other picture, Sakura and Ino sat in the middle, behind her stood Naruto, Hinata, Neji who had his arm around Hinata and the other Arm around Lee, who was standing next to Sasuke, Chouji and Tenten, Shino joined the picture with his glasses off. He looked nice without them, on the chair behind the group stood Shikamaru and Kiba, both holding their hands up in the air. Akamaru joined the picture as well on top of Kiba's head. All of them grinning at the Camera, Hinata had a blush on her face since she was standing next to Naruto. She was laughing at the memory of that day when something caught her eyes.

"What's that?" she noticed a piece of paper, folded neatly near the pictures. She picked it up and opened it, her eyes brightened as she recognized the handwriting:

_Sakura._

_Meet me near 'your' tree at the eastern mountain before sunset._

_Sasuke._

_P.S: By 'your' tree I mean the Sakura tree, incase you didn't get it. _

She giggled, her eyes sparkling. _'Sasuke wants to see me' _she grinned, she wondered why. **_"WHO CARES? Sasuke wants to see you, damn it!"_** Inner Sakura Mentally Yelled. Sakura sighed, still looking at the paper. _'Why does he want to see me? It's unlikely of him'_ Sakura thought, putting the paper on the desk. She ran to her closet, looking for something to wear, she suddenly stopped. "Maybe he wants to say something important… Maybe it's not what I think" Sakura said, she closed the closet, went to her bedroom door, opened it and ran downstairs.

"I'm going out, Mother. I'll be back soon" She said, quickly running out the door, never giving the chance for her mother to reply. "Well, she's probably going to practice. She's a hardworking girl. I'm really proud of her" Sakura's Mom said then continued knitting.

**Hyuuga Residence**

Hyuuga Hiashi had finished his dinner with his daughters, Hinata and Hanabi, and his Nephew, Neji, in the main dining room. Dinner consisted of Meat, Sushi, some noodles and vegetables.

"Gotzusosama" Hanabi said, getting off the floor. "Excuse me, Father. I'm going to my room." 12 years old Hanabi said. Hiashi nodded. Hanabi smiled and ran upstairs. Hiashi took a look at his daughter who was sitting on his left, she was growing into a beautiful flower every season, her hair was getting longer and she was starting to look like a Hyuuga. But never acting like one, _'she should stop being as shy as she is and begin to act like a grown up'_ He looked to his right at Neji.

It was 5 years ago when Hiashi apologized to Neji about losing Neji's father, His twin brother, Hizashi. Since then, the relationship between Neji and his uncle was starting to improve; it ended with Neji moving in with them.

Neji's looks and attitude sorely reminded Hiashi of his brother. His stern expression would never change. He was calmly eating, more like poking the vegetables. He smiled at the sight; it was almost as if he was having a fight with it. He looked down, _'they're both growing up so quickly, so am I'_ Hiashi put the chopsticks down and Sighed.

"What's the matter, father?" Hinata's low voice cut her father's thoughts. He looked at her; she had a worried look on her face. "Why would you say that?" he kindly asked, smiling. Hinata looked at her food. "Well, Y-you never sigh unless something's on your mind. What's bothering you?" Hinata said, Neji stopped poking his food and silently listened to the conversation. The Silence was overwhelming in the Hyuuga residence, so silent that they could hear a walking ant.

"Well, I was thinking how you kids grew up so fast. Hinata, you're already spending time with that Uzumaki Kid, what was his name again?" Hiashi asked her. "…N-Naruto." She shyly said, fiddling with her hands under the table. "Naruto... I can tell he likes you. You like him back, don't you?" Hinata blushed beet red when she heard her father's words. "You just be careful around him." His words were tough, but she accepted it and slowly nodded. Neji smirked.

"…and you Neji? You've become such a strong young man, a proud Hyuuga. Shouldn't you be looking for someone? You know, to settle down with?" Hiashi said, smiling. Neji gulped. _'Is he suggesting that I should get married? What is he thinking? I'm 19 years old.'_ Neji thought. A mixture of fear and confusion was in his eyes.

Hiashi laughed at his nephew's expression, Neji looked at his uncle. "I was only kidding, Neji." He said. Neji exhaled all the oxygen he was holding in. Hinata smiled at her cousin and got up. "Excuse me, father. But I'm going to my room as well" she said, she got up, opened the sliding door **(the one in Japanese houses, I don't know its name)** then closed it.

"Neji…" Hiashi started, Neji looked at his Uncle. He had a serious look on his face. "What is it?" Neji asked back. Hiashi closed his eyes. "…I need to talk to you, in my office" He opened his eyes and got up, opening the door again. Hiashi didn't look back.

Neji was alone in the big dining room with a confused expression on his face. "I wonder what he wants" Neji said getting up and going after his uncle.

**Hokage Building** **(I didn't know where to put Gaara so… He's in there. Go get him, Fan girls)**

One of the Jonin guards Led Gaara, Temari and Kankurou to one of the master rooms in the building. He opened the door and extended his arm as a gesture to go inside. "This is the room you're going to stay in, Kazekage-sama." The Jonin guard said. Gaara entered the room and checked it out. It was quite big. He saw a big desk in the end of the room. A few cabinets for files and paperwork were in one of the corners, no sign of a bed or a closet. "…Kazekage-sama. The bedroom is right behind the door there." he pointed to a door in the same room, which was next to the desk. Gaara nodded, untying his Sash and putting the gourd aside.

"Kazekage-sama, you're appointed to meet Hokage-sama tomorrow at 7am. You can rest if you want to…" The Guard continued. "…do you need anything else, Kazekage-sama?" The guard asked Gaara. Gaara shook his head as a no. "I see…" the guard turned around.

"And you two…" he talked to Temari and Kankurou. Temari glared at him _'you two? Does he know who's he talking to?'_ Temari thought, Kankurou poked her arm, she looked at him angrily, he mouthed _'Calm down'_ to her. He could read her expressions, _'She's about to kill him'_ Kankurou thought, almost laughing.

"…Come with me" He said, walking away from Gaara's room. _'I guess we're staying in different bedrooms, SWEET!'_ Temari thought. Mentally, she was raising her fist in the air.

Gaara looked around before closing his room's door. Then he went to the bedroom door and opened it. There was a huge bed, beige & Red sheets and covers, the walls were painted in beige, and the room had a window covered with silk emerald curtains. He walked to the bed, touching it. _'Satin'_ he thought. Gaara turned around and spread his arms, closed his eyes and threw himself on the bed. His body bounced a bit. He smiled, his eyes remained closed. His face suddenly had a disturbed expression as he got up and sat straight.

"I can't sleep" he said, getting up and going out of the bedroom. He took a look at his main room again **(the one with the Desk)**. He though it was "…Plain" he continued his thoughts. A picture of a purple flower appeared in his head. He narrowed his eyes, remembering the flower in that hotel they stayed at a couple of days ago. "Maybe that's what the room needed." He said, with a smirk on his face. He walked towards the door. _'I need some fresh air' _he thought as he continued to walk the corridors of the Hokage building.

**The Sakura Tree Mountain**

The sun was about to set, Sasuke was waiting for Sakura, sitting on the ground and leaning on the trunk. _'Maybe she's not coming. Why would she anyway?'_ he said, getting off the ground. He turned around to get off the mountain. But he saw her, she was here. A warm breeze blew from the side, causing her pink hair & her beautiful dark red dress to flow with it.

"I'm here…" she started, "…I'm sorry I was late" she said, her hands were in front of her. The breeze was still blowing when she walked towards him. He had his hands in his pockets. A sincere smile on his face, he shook his head. "You're not late…" he said, extending his right hand to take hers, "…you're just in time.", Sakura was surprised, it was the first time she saw that smile on his face, the first time he spoke to her like that. She smiled back, extending her hand as well. He held her hand in his, "C'mon, I want to show you something." She was surprised, _'what is he going to show me?'_ She thought, her eyes were sparkling. She never dreamed of such a moment, especially with Sasuke.

"Close your eyes" he said in a warm, soothing tone. She obeyed and closed her eyes. "Walk with me, keep your eyes closed" he told her, she nodded. Her hand still in his.

Sasuke slightly pushed Sakura in front of him, still holding her hand. When they were 1 meter away from the edge, he stopped her and stood behind her, holding both her hands. He whispered.

"Open your eyes"

She opened them, she gasped as she was standing very close to the edge. She was literally Overlooking at Konoha. The sun was setting behind the village making the scenery Extraordinary, Fantastic, overwhelming…You name it.

"Sasuke, this is beautiful" She said, still caught in the moment. Sasuke smiled, "I come here to relax every once in a while, I decided that it's the time someone shared it with me" He whispered in her ear, she closed her eyes and leaned back into his chest, he wrapped his arms around her. "I love it" she whispered, he looked at her. Sasuke couldn't believe he was this close to Sakura, _his_ Sakura. He held her tight as the wind blew from behind. It carried the 'Sakura' leaves with it, engulfing both in a small, beautiful pink twister.

"This is like a dream" she said, he leaned his head to touch her temple. Then turned and kissed her hair. "But it's not…" Sasuke said. She turned her head to face him.

"Sasuke…"she whispered his name, he smiled. Their faces were inches apart. He was lost in the green jewels they called 'her eyes'. She was lost, looking deep into his black eyes. Losing herself in them. "Sakura…" he said, leaning in, "If you let me…" their lips almost touching, she closed her eyes, leaning closer. She waited eagerly for his lips.

There was nothing

'_Why did you…'_ she thought. Then she turned around to face him, her hands were on his chest. He was still having his arms around her. She looked at him, he was smiling. "D-do you…um...want me to…" he struggled to get the words out; she smiled and leaned in, Capturing his lips with hers. It started as an innocent kiss, Sasuke deepened the kiss, licking her lips, she gasped as she felt his tongue enter her mouth, she melted in his kiss, her arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer, his arms went around her waist, held her tighter and closer, deepening the kiss even more. A few minutes of endless lip locking was breathtaking for the young couple, they had to pull apart, both panting.

"That was…wow" Sakura said, almost in a whisper, still panting. He'd smiled, showing his pearly white teeth before he claimed her bottom lip with his own again, but this time it was a much softer, more gentle kiss. They broke apart again_, 'god, she tastes like…some kind of heavenly fruit, a forbidden one that no one should taste'_ Sasuke thought, looking at her lips, wanting to taste those sweet, soft lips again. But he had to tell her… he must….

"Sakura, I…" Sasuke started, looking at her lips, then moving up to her eyes, looking deep into them, trying to tell her how he feels. She looked in his eyes, trying to understand what he wanted to say, to find an answer to his gaze. "What is it, Sasuke?" Sakura asked, still holding him close, arms around his neck.

"I love you, Sakura-Chan" Sasuke blurted out the words, she gasped, shocked of what she heard. His eyes were wide as well, _'too soon, Sasuke-teme. Too soon'_ Sasuke thought. Sakura closed her eyes. _'Damn it'_ his eyes narrowed, waiting for a slap or an insult. Or maybe a simple shove off the cliff that could end his life instantly, Sasuke was having second thoughts of throwing HIMSELF off, his thoughts were cut by Sakura's soft lips on his, then she pulled away, leaning her forehead against his.

"I love you too, Sasuke-kun" she whispered, tears were strolling down her face, she leaned her head on his chest, her hands went also to his chest, he engulfed her in a loving hug, kissing the top of her head and leaning his cheek on it. The Sakura leaves **(still flowing with the wind)** were giving the air a beautiful scent; they both turned their heads to watch the sun set on Konoha, both knowing that they're loved by one another.

**Hyuuga Residence**

Hiashi got into his office, Neji followed suit. Hiashi sat down on one of the couches, motioning to Neji to sit down as well. Neji obeyed.

"What is it, Uncle?" Neji said. Hiashi closed his eyes, "Neji…" He started, opening his eyes. Neji noticed that the look in his eyes had some kind of news, either terrible or good ones.

"I'm 47 years old and I'm not getting in younger. I saw you get stronger and more powerful than any Hyuuga. You are –by far- the strongest Hyuuga in the branch Family. Actually, in the whole Family, the strongest of your generation…" He paused; Neji wasn't sure where this was going. Hiashi looked straight into his nephew's Eyes. Neji's eyes widened as he realized what will be said…

"Neji, I want you to be the Successor of the Hyuuga Clan"

B.R.E.A.K...L.I.N.E.

**DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNN, CLIFF HANGER?? WILL HE ACCEPT?!!?!? God knows, Even I haven't decided what to do with him.**

**THAT'S IT for CHAPTER 8…sob sob…I was happy that Sasuke and Sakura FINALLY got together. They wouldn't do that in the Anime, DAMN NARUTO WRITERS.**

**Anyways, chapter 8 is up, I was having a MAJOR writer's block so that's why this chapter is too short and too dumb... I wanted to get those two together without any complications!!**

**Please review!!**


	10. Chapter 9: Evening

**D.I.S.C.L.A.I.M.E.R.:** ….Looks around then whispers…I own Naruto…**NOT!!!**

**Starting Chapter 9...**

**Oh, and thx to 'Never Fall' for the review …I hope you like it. and thx to the cute Kilulu...Your reviews and PM are my inspiration XP**

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

Previously on please remember

Neji wasn't sure where this was going. Hiashi looked straight into his nephew's Eyes. Neji's eyes widened as he realized what will be said…

"Neji, I want you to be the Successor of the Hyuuga Clan"

**Please remember, Chapter 9**

Neji's breath was held in the back of his throat. _'Successor….Of …Hyuuga? Me?'_ Neji thought, He couldn't believe what he was hearing, He was a member of the branch family, and now his uncle – the representative of the Hyuuga head family- wants him to become the successor?

"But…" Neji started, He didn't know what he was going to say. _'Should I accept it? Why now…I mean…I don't…'_ Neji's thoughts were as confused as he was. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Neji…" Hiashi started, "…You don't have to decide now. Think it over, and then tell me your decision." Hiashi said. He got up and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused Neji sitting alone on the couch.

Neji had always believed, ever since he was a kid, that his fate was chosen. He was born as a Branch Family member. That's his fate, that's what he believed. Up till 5 years ago at the Chuunin exam, when he lost against Uzumaki Naruto that he realized that he was able to change his fate, just like everybody else.

And Now, Hyuuga Hiashi was giving him the choice to become the Successor. Who was he to say no? _'I've always wondered what it would be like to be a Head family member. Being a successor is a whole different thing. It's up to me what happens to this clan, Our clan'_ Neji thought. He got up and opened the door, walked down the corridor to his bedroom and opened the door.

His room had faint blue colored walls, and his bed was medium sized, not too small, not too big. The covers were dark blue and navy colors. His room had a small window that overlooked at the backyard. Next to the bed was a dresser. A couple of photos and a clock were on it. Neji threw himself on the bed, looking at the time.

'_6:30'_ Neji read the clock. He looked at the Ceiling.

'_Neji, I want you to be the Successor of the Hyuuga Clan'_

Those words played over and over again in his head.

A knock on the door was heard then the door slowly opened, Hanabi's head peaked from the slightly cracked door.

"Neji-nii-chan…" Hanabi cheerfully said. Neji smiled and got up. "…I didn't bother you, did I?" she asked, coming into the room. Hanabi wore a black Kunoichi pants with matching sandals and a black sleeved shirt, the shirt had a drawing of a light blue dragon circling all around the shirt starting from the hem of the shirt, its head stopping near the Shirt collar. She wore her long black hair in a messy bun. She entered the room and put her hands behind her.

Neji nodded, "No, you didn't" He said, "Good…" She smiled. Ever since Neji moved in with them 5 years ago and they had gotten in a strong brotherly bond. He trained her weekly and she joked around with him during breaks, playing some pranks, planting some traps. Neji warned her not to place any traps for him, she never listened.

"Well, what is it?" He asked, sitting up straight now.

"Well, My _Byakugan_…" she said, looking at the ground, "…I'm not fully trained to Use it… and you…" she said, holding her hands together. "…I always watched you use it. I watched you practice everyday….and you're really good at activating it, not to mention controlling it…and my Chuunin exam is getting closer…" she continued, Neji got up and walked towards her. "Do you want me to help you?" he said, she looked up to him and smiled, he was pretty much taller than her.

"If you can…if you're not busy" she said, Neji gave her a stupid look. "I'm sitting alone in my room, how could I be busy?" He asked, crossing his arms. Hanabi did the same and narrowed her eyes at him "well, maybe you're meditating…or thinking about someone, that girl, maybe. What's her name?" she said, putting her finger on her Chin.

"I do not like Tenten" he yelled, She gave him a quizzical look. "Who said anything about Tenten?" she said. "Well, she… we practiced together and you…" he stuttered. Hanabi was giving him an evil smile. He rolled up his sleeves, replying with a similar smile, "Uh-Oh" she said. Hanabi gulped and backed up a bit…"I…I think I heard Hinata call me." She said, and ran out the door. Neji ran after her.

**5 minutes later**

Hinata was getting out of her room when heard someone call her name.

"Oi, Hinata!" a young girl's voice whispered, she looked around. "Who's calling me? A spirit? I always knew this house was haunted somehow" Hinata said, putting her hands in front of her.

"It's not haunted, Baka. It's me, Hanabi…Up here" she whispered. Hinata looked to the ceiling, there she found her little sister hanging from the ceiling using her Chakra. Hinata shook her head.

"What are you doing up there? You could get hurt." Hinata said in an almost motherly tone. "Shshshshshsh…. Don't talk. Have you seen Nii-chan?" Hanabi asked. Hinata nodded as a no. "I just got out of my bedroom. Why? Did you do something to him? Is he planning on killing you?" Hinata joked, crossing her arms, Hanabi dropped down in front of her older sister.

"No, well, Maybe… I figured out that Neji has a crush on some girl he knows…I dunno, Ton-ton maybe, that was her name…I think…" Hanabi said, trying to figure out the girl's name.

"Ton-Ton!?" Hinata Asked, a picture of Tsunade's pig popped in her head. _'Neji and Ton-ton???'_ Hinata thought. She shuddered at the picture. "I don't think her name is Ton-ton" Hinata said, laughing. _'I think she means Ten-ten. Everyone knows something's going on between those two'_ Hinata smiled, listening to her younger sister.

"Anyways, So Neji's been following me, but I think I've lost him...hehehe. We're kinda playing hide and seek." Hanabi said. Hinata put her hands on her waist. "Playing hide and seek with Neji is not fun, he'll find you in no time with _Byakugan_" Hinata said, winking at her little sister.

"Well, we made a deal. None of us will use _Byakugan_" Hanabi said, Hinata smiled, Hanabi looked around. Hinata leaned down to her sister, hands on her knees. "What's wrong?" Hinata Asked.

"Um, well, can you use your _Byakugan_ to see where he is?" Hanabi looked at her sister. "I thought you two agreed you won't use _it_" Hinata said, eyes narrowing at her sister. "Well, we agreed on ME not using it. I never said anything about YOU not using It." she said, grinning. _'She's a sharp thinker, she's got Neji's attitude, No doubt.'_ Hinata thought.

She clasped her hands together, forming the seal. "Byakugan!" she said, pupils appeared in her eyes, the veins around her eyes bulged. She scanned the Area around her. _'Not on this floor'_ Hinata checked the first floor.

"He's in the backyard." Hinata said, releasing the Byakugan.

"Thanks sis" Hanabi smiled. Hinata had an evil look on her face. "Sure thing, little sis." Hinata laughed, Hanabi went downstairs. Hinata counted in her head. _'5, 4, 3, 2, and 1.'_

"HINATAAAAAAAAAAA!!!" Hanabi yelled. Hinata chuckled. Neji came upstairs holding Hanabi on his shoulder. "Put me down; Put me down, PUT ME DOWN…" Hanabi continued yelling. Neji laughed. "Thanks, Hinata-sama. I owe you one" He said, "You don't owe me anything." Hinata said chuckling.

"How did you get me? I thought we agreed not to use Byakugan" Hanabi said, Neji put her down.

"Well, I agreed on not using Byakugan to find you. You didn't say ANYTHING about not using it to look for Hinata, who was using the Byakugan because SOMEONE asked her to." Neji smirked. "We…" Neji pointed at Hinata and himself. "…Agreed during the moment she used Byakugan" Neji said, smiling at Hanabi. "SHE didn't even talk" Hanabi said, "we've got out own language" Hinata said, putting her tongue out. Hanabi looked at both Hinata and Neji.

"ALRIGHT, GAME OVER. C'mon, Neji. Teach me how to activate Byakugan, PLEASE!!" She pleaded, holding on Neji's sleeve. Neji laughed, "Alright, alright…HEY, SLOW DOWN!" he said while he was being pulled by Hanabi. Hinata laughed.

"Hey, wait for me. I'm coming with you guys." Hinata said, going downstairs after the two Hyuuga's.

**Hokage Building**

Kankurou was walking down the corridors to go to his brother's room. He passed a few guards, nodding to them as a hello. He reached his brother's room.

He knocked on the door. "Gaara, Temari and I are having dinner and you're already late. If you're late for another 5 minutes, Temari will devour the food" Kankurou laughed as he pictured his sister literally DEVOUR the food. But stopped when he found no answer.

"Gaara?" he said, opening the door. He walked in, _'damn, his room is even bigger than mine'_ Kankurou said, but ignored his thoughts. "Yo, Gaara. I'm not in the mood for playing, I'm hungry" he said, his stomach growled. He walked into Gaara's bedroom. "He's not here as well." Kankurou said, "I bet he's gone out for one of his Night walks" he said, going back to his room.

**Temari's room.**

Temari was sitting on the table in the middle of her room. Kankurou's room and hers were connected; a door was separating the two rooms. Both rooms were the same color and the same size as Gaara's room. Kankurou always seemed to feel that his room was the smallest.

"Hey…" Temari said as young brother walked in. "…Where's he? I thought you went to call him" She told her brother, who now joined her on the table.

"He wasn't in his room" Kankurou said, Picking up an empty bowl of the table and pouring some chicken soup in it. **(I don't know about you guys, but Chicken soup is my fave, yum Yum.)** Temari sighed, "Out for a walk I guess?" Temari said.

"Mmm" Kankurou nodded, Temari rested her chin on her hand and sighed. "Alright then, let's eat…"she said, "…But leave some for Gaara; he might want to eat later." She said, picking up the chopsticks and put some of the beef, which was on the table, in her own plate.

**09:30 pm, Yamanaka Flower Shop (I skip the time because I hate writing unnecessary stuff)**

"Sweetie, can you lock the shop for me? Your father called, he wants me to make dinner…" Asuka asked her daughter, hanging up on the cell phone. Ino nodded. "It's Ok, Mom. Just go, I'll make sure it's locked" Ino said, smiling. "Thanks sweetie and be careful on your way home. The stun gun is in the 2nd drawer on the left" Asuka said, picking up her purse and going out of the door. Ino laughed, her parents were always overprotective.

"All alone again" Ino said, she looked at the clock above the door. "09:32, it's really late. I guess when there's nothing to do, the time goes by quickly" She said, "hmm. I should start locking up." Ino said, picking up a key, she locked the Cash register. She put the key in her pocket. Ino sighed and took the apron off, _'what's next? Oh, back door. Burglars always use back doors. But why would they rob a flower shop?'_ she laughed at her own thoughts.

She went to the store room in the back of the shop to lock the backdoor where it was dark. She pulled the string that was hung from the ceiling in front of the door and the place lit up.

She walked towards the door, on her way; she tripped on something but was able to stand straight again. She looked at the thing that tripped her; it was a broom, leaning on the wall, almost mocking her. "Are you trying to kill me?" she talked to the broom, and chuckled. She walked to the door to lock it. Pulling the handle to make sure it was locked. Suddenly it went dark.

"Great, Just great" Ino mumbled. She started walking back to the front of the shop, but she forgot to adjust the broom's position. She tripped again but this time she fell. She tried to brace herself with something but ended up hitting a few shelves, making the pots and little shovels on it fall, they all fell on the ground except one.

"OUCH!! MY ANKLE!!" She yelled, sitting on the ground, holding her twisted ankle. One little pot was still spinning on the shelf which was above her.

"Damn it! Now what am I supposed to…"

CRASH!!

The pot fell on her head; she groaned and lost consciousness, her body laid down on the ground.

**Konohagakure streets**

The sound of the whiff of the trees filled the silence of the village. Everyone was in their homes, this part of the town was silent, mostly homes. On the other side of the town were bars, restaurants and shops that kept their doors open for a late night hour. Gaara happened to be walking along the street when he heard a sudden crash.

'_What was that?'_ Gaara thought. He tried to figure out the source of the sound. There were lots of houses and shops in this street. God knows where that sound came from. _'Maybe it's from there'_ Gaara looked at a shop that still had the lights on. The sign read, "Yamanaka flower shop" Gaara said and walked towards the place.

He pushed the door and walked in. the bell on top of it rang, Gaara walked in without a word. _'It's unlikely for someone to leave their shop open.'_ Gaara thought. He took his gourd off and put it aside as he was walking towards the counter; he leaned on it and took a look behind it. Maybe someone was sitting there. _'No one'_ Gaara heard a little whimper in the back store. He leaned off the counter and walked towards the store door, on his way in, he hit his head on something.

"SHIT!" He yelled, placing his hand on his forehead. He looked up to see a hanging light, he pulled the string but it didn't turn on. He touched the lamp & turned it a bit. The place lit up again. He was shocked of what he saw. He saw broken pots & different things scattered on the ground. Beneath it all, there was someone lying on the ground, blood was dripping from their head….

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

**Lame ending, I know. I had to get those two to meet somehow, so I decided to be Evil on INO…Nyahahahahahaha…poor Ino…DUN DUN DUUUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN.. I had to get them together, don't flame me. Things are going to get better soon…**

**End of Chapter 9…Please review.**


	11. Chapter 10: Bad Situation

**Chapter 10… a TWO-DIGITS NUMBER!! I can't believe my eyes. Oh, and by the way, I DO NOT OWN N.A.R.U.T.O. **

**Ok, Ok. I liked the Idea of writing the PREVIOUSLY ON MY STORY thingy... so I'll keep on doing that. I'm turning this into a series…**

**I'm REEEEEEEEALLY sorry for the delay. My PC suddenly stopped loading Naruto's episodes so the inspiration was cut LOL…**

**Kirri Kitty:** I'm glad you liked it. Well, poor little Ino…Nyahahahaha, I'm evil. NOT everything that happens to you happens to Ino, cuz Ino met Gaara…Unless you MET HIM TT...I'd die if I met a guy like Gaara…Jumps off a Bridge

**NOW TO CHAPTER 10**

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

Last chapter on Please remember

He was shocked of what he saw. He saw broken pots & different things scattered on the ground. Beneath it all, there was someone lying on the ground, blood was dripping from their head….

**Please remember, Chapter 10**

"Oh my god." Gaara said, running to the girl's side, who was groaning with pain. He lifted all the stuff that fell on her. Still in shock, she suddenly sat up. Her head almost hit his, but the sand- from the gourd next the front door- was faster than her and protected Gaara's head. Her forehead hit the sand and rebounded; falling backwards on the ground, but Gaara's sand moved quickly and prevented her head from being hit.

"You'd better not move." He said, putting his hands under her back and picking her up. "…I ought to take you to a hospital…" Gaara said, she groaned as he picked her up quickly, apparently, she was unconscious. She leaned on Gaara's chest, winced in pain. He carried her out of the store room; he wanted to open the front door. _'Damn it'_ Gaara cursed, he controlled the sand and opened the door with it, Getting out as fast as he can. He started running towards the hospital.

"Where's the damn hospital in this village?" He said as he jumped on top of one of the houses. He took a quick look and found it. He jumped on the rooftops, trying as hard as he can not to let the girl in his arms feel the movement.

Gaara reached the hospital; he walked to the front door which opened automatically. "Anyone, please" He said, the nurses on the reception got up, one of them picked the phone and the other ran to one of the Carriers **(Don't know what its name, but it's the rolling beds. You know what I mean)** and brought it in front of Gaara, he quickly but carefully laid the girl in his arms.

"Kazekage-sama. May you tell me the girl's name? Or where you found her" The nurse said, a couple of nurses and a doctor came in. "I-I don't know her name, I found her in Yamanaka flower shop. I guess some things fell on her…" Gaara said, since he got himself involved, he had to ask how she is. Besides, things weren't looking good.

One of the nurses recognized her, saying, "She's the Yamanaka daughter. Call her parents" the receptionist talked on the phone. "…Yes, Hokage-sama…She's a Yamanaka, You will? …alright….Ok then. Thank you, Hokage-sama." The receptionist hung up. "I've got it covered" she said.

"We'll do our best. Please, Kazekage-sama, wait here" the doctor said,

"Wait, is she going to be ok?" Gaara asked, "She'll be fine. Don't worry Kazekage-sama" the doctor replied as they pushed the carrier to the Operation room. Leaving Gaara standing all by himself, he took a seat next to one of the walls, _'this is not good'_ he thought, _'I hope she'll be fine'_ he said, leaning his elbows on his knees and putting his face in his hands.

**A couple of minutes passed**

Gaara was still waiting to hear some news about that girl he saved. He didn't recognize her, but Gaara swore he saw her somewhere.

"Please…My Daughter, Where is she?" a woman yelled to the receptionist, she was with a man, _'probably her parents, the Yamanakas'_ Gaara thought **(he figured the name from the shop and from the nice Nurse who recognized Ino)** as he was getting up.

"Yamanaka-san…" He started; they both turned around, Asuka's eyes watered when she saw that Gaara's clothes were bloody. Gaara's plain expression didn't help with the situation as well, so she ended up in tears "Oh my god, what happened to my baby?" She yelled, her husband, Inoichi, was holding her in his arms, whispering words of comfort to calm her down.

"She'll be fine; she entered the O.R. a couple of minutes ago. Still haven't heard from the doctor, but things are looking good." Gaara said, trying to reassure the devastated woman. Inoichi led his wife to one of the chairs; one of the nurses brought a cup of tea for Asuka. Gaara took it from her.

"Here" He handed the cup to Asuka, she took it put didn't drink; tears were still flowing on her face. "I left her a moment ago, what could've possibly gone wrong?" she cried, Inoichi had his arm around her shoulder, "What happened?" he asked Gaara. Gaara kneeled in front of them.

"I don't know, really. I just heard a sudden crash while walking down the street. When I entered…there she was" He said, Asuka was sobbing. "Was it a burglar? I'm going to kill whoever did this to my daughter…" Inoichi said. Gaara nodded and remained silent, they all heard footsteps. A woman's footsteps, they could tell from the high heels.

"Where is she?" The woman started. The receptionist got up. "Hokage-sama! She's in the O.R. Number 5." Tsunade nodded, Asuka got up and walked towards Tsunade. "Tsunade-sama. Please…" Asuka cried, "…save my baby" she sobbed even more. Tsunade put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, she'll be fine…" She looked to their side.

'_Sabaku no Gaara, The fifth Kazekage'_ Tsunade said, Gaara was looking elsewhere. Thinking, maybe. She noticed his bloody clothes _'perhaps he's the one that brought her here.'_ She could tell. Tsunade looked back to Asuka and Inoichi.

"I'm going to take a look at her now, I'll tell you everything once I'm done" she said, nodded to both and walking away.

All Asuka, Inoichi and Gaara could do was wait to hear something assuring about Ino.

**A few hours later, 12:45 am**

Tsunade got out of one of the rooms, looking delighted. Asuka has calmed down now, Inoichi was a bit worried and Gaara, well…He was being Gaara. Asuka got up, "Tsunade-sama. How's Ino?" Asuka said. Gaara narrowed his eyes, trying to remember where he'd heard that name. _'Ino…Oh that's right.'_

_Flashback_

_Everyone waited patiently, a match was coming up everyone was looking at the screen, waiting for the randomly picked names. It was chosen_

_Yamanaka Ino._

_Vs_

_Haruno Sakura._

_A blonde Kunoichi and a Pink haired girl walked to the middle of the Arena._

_End flashback._

'_She was the one with the mind-altering Jutsu…The one I saw this morning as well.'_ Gaara thought, he looked at her parents. They were now cheerful from the news they've heard. Ino's condition is stable, soon to be better. Gaara smiled, '_That's good. She's a good ninja. It would be a waste if she…'_ he stopped his thoughts there. _'…No need to be negative there.'_ Gaara thought, the voices of the Yamanakas brought him back to reality.

"Can we see her?" Inoichi said, Tsunade nodded, "Yes, but only if you keep quiet. She's fine but she's sleeping, she needs some rest now." Tsunade said, they both thanked her and walked to their daughter's room. Gaara stayed put, Tsunade looked at him.

"Gaara, it's nice to see you accepted the Invitation. It's good to see you…well, not in these circumstances, I guess." She said, smiling. Gaara smiled back, looking her straight in the eye. "Tsunade-hime, It's good to see you as well. Of course I accepted it. As allies we must join our forces to bring peace between the two countries…" He replied, and then looked down. "…I, personally, apologize for what happened a few years ago" he said, looking straight into Tsunade's eyes. **(I'm talking about the Chuunin exam incident. Since Orochimaru tricked the siblings and caused Gaara to unleash Shukaku thus making a huge conflict between Suna and Konoha)**

She sincerely smiled, "All is forgotten…" he sighed in relief. She put her hands on her waist **(very Un-Hokage)** "…Now, don't you want to check on Ino?" she said, he looked at the closed door of the room Ino's staying in.

"No, I think she should be left with her parents now" he said, looking down on his clothes, "I might as well go clean up…it's not very suitable for a Kazekage to walk around with blood on his shirt, people might get the wrong Idea." he said, Smiling.

Tsunade Chuckled. "You're right", he nodded. "Well, then. Goodnight, Tsunade-hime" he said, bowing a bit.

"Goodnight to you too, Gaara" she replied, nodding her head as a reply to his bow. He went to the front door. "Gaara…" he turned around. Tsunade was standing straight with her hands in front of her. "…You've been told that you are to meet me tomorrow at 7 am, correct?" Tsunade said. Gaara nodded. "Yes, I'll be at your office then." He said, she nodded **(they're doing a lot of nodding here and there)**

Gaara walked out of the Hospital. Tsunade smiled. "He sure is acting as one hell of a Kazekage…." She said, and then realized she cursed, she faked a cough and looked around. _'Good, no one noticed'_ she thought. Tsunade stretched and yawned. "I should get some beauty sleep" she said. She looked towards Ino's room then looked at the front door.

'_What were those two doing together?'_ Tsunade had a very evil and dirty thought in her head, she shook her head. _'I should stop reading Icha Icha Novels'_ She thought and walked out of the hospital, Going home. **(I had to add the Icha Icha thingy, LOL.)**

**Konohagakure rooftops**

Gaara was taking a short cut back to the Hokage building. He swiftly jumped from roof to roof. For some reason, he felt light and he quickly figured out the reason.

'_My gourd…where did I…'_ Gaara thought then remembered, and then he changed the course of his path, knowing where he left it.

Gaara stopped at the flower shop. It was still open, no sign of any disturbance or burglary. His gourd was still safe next to the door. He sighed and felt relieved the moment he tied the sash, which carried the gourd, around him. He opened the door to get out but stopped in his track. _'It wouldn't be safe to keep this shop open.'_ Gaara thought and walked towards the counter.

"The key should be here somewhere" he said, looking on the counter, under the counter, in some unlocked drawers. _'Nothing'_ he went to the back Area, avoiding to hit his head with the hanging light-bulb. He looked at the ground, the blood was still there. _'Maybe the key's with her'_ he turned to walk out but something shined in the corner of his eye. He looked at the ground; a key chain shaped like a flower had several keys connected to it.

'_That's it'_ he picked the key chain up. Suddenly he heard a bell ringing. _'Someone's in here'_ he walked out the back area to see Inoichi walking towards the counter, he stopped in his track.

"It's you" Inoichi said, Gaara walked towards him. "I'm sorry; I was looking for the keys…to lock the shop. I didn't think it was safe to keep it unlocked." He said, handing the keys to Inoichi, Gaara nodded his head and walked towards the door.

"Son…" Inoichi started, turning around to look at Gaara. He stopped, still facing the front door. "…The doctors…said that if you didn't bring her in time…she wouldn't have made it..." he said, looking at the ground then turning around towards Gaara. "…she's my only child, I don't know what I would do if…" he stopped, Gaara turned around to look at Inoichi.

Inoichi looked up at Gaara, "it was a miracle…you, taking that stroll near the shop…" he stopped and bowed, Gaara was surprised. "…Thank you…for saving my daughter's life" he said. Gaara nodded, "please, don't bow…It makes me feel uneasy when…someone older than me bows…to me. I don't like it" he said, Inoichi stood straight. Gaara had a smile on his face.

"Sir, don't thank me…it is my duty" he said, bowing a bit and turning around. "What's your name, kid?" Inoichi said. Gaara tilted his head to the side. "Sabaku no…Gaara" he said and walked out the door.

"Sabaku no Gaara…" Inoichi repeated, _'so he's the fifth Kazekage of Suna…what a wise decision they've made'_ he thought, walking towards the front door and out of the shop, and then locking the door. Inoichi looked up to the sky. _'Kami-sama…Thank you…'_ he prayed, _'…My daughter's life was saved thanks to that young man…it's a miracle, I'm sure.'_ He thought, putting the key in his pocket and walking towards the hospital.

**Hokage building, 2am.**

Gaara was taking a shower **(OMG XP)** he put his hand on the wall, leaning against it. Letting the water wash the back of his head and his back, he closed his eyes. The image of Ino struck his thoughts. He remembered seeing her this morning, smiling at him, then in a matter of hours she was injured and almost died. He shook his head and raised it, letting the water wash his face; his hands moved towards his hair and washed it a bit.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!?!?" Gaara almost jumped, a voice rang across the room and into the bathroom. The voice was familiar. He heard a couple of mumbling then…

"GAARA!! ARE YOU ALRIGHT? WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?" Gaara laughed as he turned the faucet, getting out of the shower and wrapping his lower body with a towel. He opened the bathroom door to see a very scared Temari sitting on his bed and a surprised Kankurou, the latter was holding Gaara's bloody clothes.

"What's going on?" Gaara asked. Temari jumped off the bed and stood straight, Hands on her waist. Kankurou started.

"What's the meaning of this?" Kankurou said, waving Gaara's bloody shirt in his face. Temari cut in, "are you ok? Are you hurt?" Kankurou just glares at her and smacks her arm with the back of his hand.

"Are you blind? Do you see ANY injuries or wounds on him?" Kankurou said, Temari realized and raised her eyebrows "Oh, you're right…" She looks at the clothes, "…then what's…" she stops and looks at Gaara.

"Gaara…" he simply just looks at her with a very blank expression. "…Did you hurt anyone?" she asks quietly. He closes his eyes and then says…

"What are you guys doing in my room? It's 2 in the morning?" he said, holding on his towel tightly. It's true that those are his siblings but still, he wasn't going to give them a peep show.

"Well, you've left the building since god knows when. So we decided to check if you were back or not, now answer her question..." he said, pointing at Temari who hates being pointed at. She smacks his hand away; he gave her 'The' look.

"Well, I didn't hurt anyone. Happy now?" Gaara said, walking to his closet and picking up a pair of fresh clothes. **(Does FRESH go with CLOTHES?)**

"Then what is blood doing on your…"

"I helped someone, alright? Stop treating me like a criminal and get the hell out of my bedroom!" Gaara replied to his sister, suddenly blurting out the words, eyes wide open. Both Kankurou and Temari Gulped.

"Alright, Alright. You don't have to yell" Temari said, raising her hands in front of her as to calm Gaara down. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, guys. It's been a rough day. I'm tired" he said then looked down at the towel, shivered a bit then looked at his siblings, he gave them the 'Duh, can't you see I need to get some clothes on' look, they both nodded and got out of the bedroom.

In a few minutes, Gaara was wearing beige pajama pants and a black shirt with an orange graffiti. He lifted the covers and laid down on his bed, hands behind his head.

"Another few hours till the break of dawn" he said, closing his eyes a bit. _'I should try to get some sleep'_ he said, took a deep breath and let it out. He thought of today's events, _'first day in Konoha: Total failure!!' _laughing at his own thoughts, he turned to his right and in a few minutes he was fast asleep.

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

**FINISHED!! FINALLY… bad ending for this chapter…please review**


	12. Chapter 11: ALIVE!

**Chapter 11…is here! Everyone, Gather around!!**

**FACT: Did you know that 11 is my -lucky/unlucky/whatsoever- number?**

It's 5:48am where I am and I'm starting this chapter and I feel really hyper.

Anyways, Chapter 11 is now here so I hope y'all happy.

**Please remember, Chapter 11**

Knock, Knock, Knock…

A loud knock woke Gaara up from his short, discontinuous sleep. He sat up and looked at the clock next to him.

'_06:40'_ the clock read _'the meeting with Hokage'_ he thought. Gaara rubbed the sleep of his eyes and got out of bed, walking slowly towards the bathroom, letting whoever knocking on the door wait.

**A few minutes later**

Gaara was dressed in black cargo pants and a black shirt; he wore a red sash instead of the white one. He took a look in the mirror, ruffling his hair a bit and walking towards the door.

"Whoever that is, they're pretty persistent" he said, talking about the one that was still knocking on the door, he slowly **(and I mean SLOWLY)** opened the door.

"What?" he calmly said, Kankurou was there, jokingly blowing on his hand. "You have a serious hearing issue, bro. I've been knocking for hours…" he stopped, and then continued. "Well, Hours is exaggeration. But I've been knocking for a pretty long time" Gaara had the 'I don't care' expression on his face, which was ALWAYS on his face. He walked past his older brother.

"Yeah, and I've been ignoring you for hours" Gaara said, Kankurou followed. "Hahaha, very funny." He said. Both were walking towards the Hokage's office, although Kankurou's presence is not needed in the meeting. The silent was awkward so Kankurou decided to break it.

"Oi, did you manage to get some sleep last night?" Kankurou simply asked, he was breaking the silence AND making sure everything's going well with his little brother **(Good ol' Kankurou)**

Gaara was silent, until he finally replied. "yes." Was his only answer. Kankurou sighed and kept walking, taking a quick pace to get to his brother's side.

"Where's Temari?" Gaara asked, Kankurou snickered. "Where do you think she is? Asleep, of course. I don't understand women. They think that the more they sleep, the prettier they get. I think the more they sleep, the fatter they get and the stronger we become, how about that?" he said, laughing. Gaara simply ignored him.

Kankurou frowned _'man, I sure wish he'd laugh someday. He's being serious and all. It's cool but it's kinda boring'_ he thought. Gaara and Kankurou reached the Hokage's office. They both stopped, Kankurou turned to his brother.

"Well, you're exactly 45 minutes early." Kankurou said, Gaara remained silent. Kankurou sighed. "Ok, then. I'm going out for fresh air. See ya later…" Kankurou turned around and walked away, then stopped and looked back, "…Kazekage-sama" he said, smiling and walking off.

Gaara smiled, Kankurou never acknowledged Gaara as a Kazekage nor he ever called him that. _'Thanks, Onii-chan'_ he thought. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in" a female voice said, Tsunade's. Gaara turned the handle and pushed the door. He walked in. "Hello, Gaara. I see you're early." Tsunade said, Getting off her chair. Gaara closed the door and walked towards her desk. "Well, I couldn't sleep and I realized that I might not get any sleep at all…so here I am" he said, a small smile on his face.

Tsunade smiled and motioned to Gaara to sit down and he did.

"Then let's start this meeting, shall we?"

**-Author note: I don't know a damn thing about –kage's meetings so I'll skip a couple of hours-**

**Yamanaka Flower shop, 10:15 am**

"NANIIIIII????" Shikamaru yelled. The young lady behind the counter, Sasame, jumped in fear. "What do you mean by they're at the hospital? Is everything alright?" Shikamaru asked, _'of course it's not, baka. They're at the hospital and someone else is in Charge of the shop today'_ Shikamaru thought.

Sasame said, "Well, Shikamaru-kun. Asuka called and asked me this morning to be in charge of the shop today because they're staying over in the hospital, she said there was an extra key under one of the flower pots outside." she said, smiling. Shikamaru waited for her to tell him why.

"Well…Why?" he asked, she had a puzzled look on her face, "Why what?" she asked, Shikamaru felt like going in a corner and crying like a baby because of this unreasonably idiotic woman. He slammed his hands on the counter and said each word carefully.

"Why...are…they…at...the...hospital?" He said, Sasame was wondering why he is speaking that slowly. "Well, Because… Ino…is in the Hospital." She said. Again he waited for a reason why Ino's in the hospital.

He sighed and gave up, "Why are they at the hospital?" he asked. She frowned. "You know? You could've asked the questions all at once. I'm not dumb, you know." She said, smiling again. Shikamaru wanted to jump and rip this smile off her face.

"Fine, I'll make sure to do that the next time I ask you…" he said, _'Hopefully, there won't be a next time'_. Shikamaru thought then he continued.

"Now, TELL ME…WHY INO'S IN THE HOSPITAL?" Shikamaru was frustratingly asking. She sighed and leaned on the counter.

"Well, Asuka didn't give me the details, she only told me that Ino's at the hospital since last night. I didn't ask why." She said, smiling. Shikamaru sighed, Big time.

"Fine. Thanks for the information." He said, storming off. "WAIT…" she said. He stopped in his tracks.

"What?" he said, _'if she acted stupidly again, I'm going to kill myself.'_

"Aren't you going to take some flowers to her?" she said, he looked at the ground. _'She's right…'_ he thought _'…but taking flowers to a flower shop keeper is like giving honey to the bees. Like giving Ramen to a certain blonde haired Naruto'_

He picked a small, bluish flower and paid for it. Then he stormed off.

"Thanks for buying from Yamanaka flower shop. Please come again" she yelled to Shikamaru.

'_Man, if she's in charge then I'm not coming back at all…'_ he sighed, "…Women, too troublesome" he said, running towards the hospital. On his way, he found Tenten, Neji, Hanabi and Hinata buying juice from a stand.

"Yo, Shika. What's the rush?" Neji asked, Shikamaru stopped and greeted them, "well, I'm on my way to the hospital." Neji's face grimaced upon hearing that. Tenten gasped. "What happened? I hope no one's hurt" she said, Hinata and Hanabi had a concerned look on their faces.

"Unfortunately, Ino's been hurt last night and I'm going to check on her." He said, Hanabi, Hinata and Tenten gasped. Neji's expression changed into a worried one.

"Well, count us in. C'mon guys, we've got to go check on her as well." Neji said, all three girls nodded and they all ran towards the hospital.

**Room #121**

Ino was still unconscious, her mother sat next to her bed. Asuka was half asleep; she heard some footsteps then the door was opened. She looked in its direction to see two guys, both looking alike, shiny bowl hair, green jump suits & bushy brows, she smiled to them.

"Hello, Asuka-san." She got up to welcome the visitors. "Hello Guy-san. Lee, I hope you're doing fine." she said in a low voice, lee was using a crutch to walk. He nodded and pointed to his leg.

"The doctors said that it would heal in no time…" he said, giving Asuka his 'cool guy' pose complete with the shiny grin, she smiled but quickly frowned again. "How is she?" Guy-sensei asked, looking at Ino. Asuka looked at her as well.

Ino was sleeping to what it seemed like forever, her hair was untied, head bandaged, blood transfusion was needed so an IV was inserted in her left hand. Asuka sat down and held her hand. "Despite these equipments, she looks like an angel, doesn't she?" Asuka said. She was on the verge of tears.

Guy-sensei walked towards her and put his hand on her shoulder, she closed her eyes. Lee walked to the other side of the bed, "Is she going to be Ok?" he asked, Asuka looked at him and smiled. "They said that she'll be fine, that she's going to be unconscious for a while…" Lee's eyes widened, "she's in a coma?" he said, Asuka nodded in negation.

"No, she's just…sleeping" she said, a sad smile appeared on her face while looking at her daughter's almost lifeless figure. A single tear strolled down her cheek, she wiped it away. The three remained silent for sometime, each was secretly praying for Ino.

**Reception, a few minutes later.**

Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, Hanabi and Tenten all ran towards the reception, the receptionist welcomed them, "How can I help you?" she said, Neji started. "We're looking for Yamanaka Ino, she came in…last night, I guess" He said, Shikamaru nodded. "Is she alright?" he asked, the receptionist was looking through the patients' log.

"Yamanaka Ino, room #121. It's on the second floor. You should ask her doctor about her condition." She said, smiling. They thanked her and went to the second floor. Several rooms were on this floor as well. Hanabi started counting the rooms.

"118, 119, 120…Aha, 121. This is it, guys" she said, pointing at the room, at the same moment, Guy-sensei and Lee got out with Asuka, Ino's Mom. She smiled when she saw them.

"Hello, Asuka-san. Is Ino alright?" Hinata said, fidgeting with her hands, Asuka Nodded. "Yes, she is fine. You can see her but don't make a lot of noise. I'm going home to rest for a bit, please inform me if anything happens" she said, they nodded. Neji took a good look at her. She looks like she hasn't slept overnight. _'I really hope Ino's alright'_ he thought as the rest of the group walked in. Shikamaru was first to see Ino. He never saw her like that. She was never severely hurt; it was always minor injuries; little cuts and scrapes, broken nails. But not this...

"Ino…" Shikamaru whispered, apparently shocked. Hinata's and Tenten's eyes were already filled with tears. Hanabi held on to Neji's arm, both worried about Ino. Hanabi looked up to Ino in so many ways…

Sometimes Ino would visit the Hyuuga family along with the rest of the Chuunins, Ino always complemented Hanabi's sense of fashion which was something she always loved.

Tears went down from Hanabi's eyes as she walked towards the bed, looking at Ino. She doesn't look bad; she looks like she's just sleeping. Hanabi turned to the others.

"Is she really fine?" she asked, Shikamaru nodded, "Yeah, that's Ino. She doesn't give up easily." He said, nervously laughing, Neji looked at him _'he's worried, really worried'_

"C'mon guys, you're acting like she's dying… she's not." Tenten exclaimed. They all looked at her, "do you think Ino wants us to believe that something bad is really going to happen to her? If she saw your faces she'd probably laugh." She laughed, but they all knew that her laugh wasn't real, it was a distraction from her sense of fear; they all knew Tenten. Their attention was diverted to the bed when Ino groaned, titling her head a bit, grimaced in pain.

"Ino?" Shikamaru said, walking to the side of the bed, they all got closer to the bed. Ino was slowly regaining consciousness and slowly opened her eyes but was still looking at the ceiling. Shikamaru carefully sat down on the bed next to her, "Ino, can you hear me?" she slowly turned her head towards him, groaning in the process "Shi-Shikamaru" she said, he smiled. _'That's great, she's fine'_. He said. Putting the flower he brought in a vase that was next to the bed, Ino smiled when she noticed he brought her a flower.

Neji walked to Shikamaru's side, "how do you feel? You got us all worried about you, especially him" he said, patting on Shikamaru's shoulder. She smiled then grimaced again, touching her head, it was bandaged. "What… happened?" Ino asked, Shikamaru replied "we don't know. Don't you remember anything?" Ino shook her head. The door was opened and the doctor was there.

"Hello, I'm Doctor Sato. You must be Ino's friends, right?" he said, he was a plain looking guy, dark brown hair, brown eyes. He was wearing round glasses **(like Kabuto's)**.

They all nodded, he walked closer to the bed, "Ino, I see you've already woken up." He said. Ino smiled. He turned to the others. "I'm sorry, but I have to check on Ino's condition so I must ask you to leave the room for a while." He politely said, they all nodded and walked out of the room.

**Waiting hall**

Shikamaru sat down on one of the chairs; Hinata sat a couple of chairs away. Tenten was next to her, Neji was leaning on the wall and Hanabi was with him. A couple of minutes later the doctor walked out with a smile on his face. "Is she alright? Will she get better?" Hanabi asked, the doctor laughed. "Yes, she's doing great. Tsunade-sama treated her last night and the effects are starting to show, I'm sure we're all glad Tsunade-sama is here." They all nodded in agreement. "Can we go see her?" Tenten asked. The doctor nodded. "Yes, but she needs to rest now, so you'll have to be quite in there" he smiled, "Thank you, doctor" she said. He nodded and walked away after excusing himself.

"Well, now we all know that she's alright, right?" Neji said. They were all happy to hear that Tsunade is the one who treated her.

Neji was still leaning on the wall when Hanabi nudged him a bit, he looked to her. "What is it?" Neji asked. She smiled. "I have to go home. Father wants to train me…again" she said, grinning. Neji nodded and walked to the guys. "I'm going to take Hanabi home now, I'll be back later. "He said. Hinata stood up. "I'll go with you." Neji nodded. They all waved to Shikamaru and Tenten and walked off.

Tenten looked at Shikamaru, who was spaced out and being as fidgety as always, fidgeting with his hands.

"There's no reason to be nervous, Shikamaru. She's alright. You've heard the doctor." Tenten said, Shikamaru snapped out of his trance and looked at Tenten.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wonder how did this happen to her?" Tenten's lips formed a thin line and then smiled. "Accidents happen, Shikamaru" she said, her hand on his shoulder to reassure him, he just nodded.

"Shikamaru…" both Tenten and Shikamaru looked up to see Asuma, standing a few feet away from them. "...Tsunade wants to see you in her office." Shikamaru's eyebrows twitched and he sighed. _'Why can't I have a day off?'_ Shikamaru lazily walked off with Asuma to the Hokage building. Tenten was alone in the waiting room. _'I guess I'm going to stay with Ino for a while'_ she said, standing up and going into room #121.

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

-Sigh-… **11th Chapter, Mission accomplished.**

**Yeah, though Tsunade treated Ino, she still has some side effects of the pots that fell on her head. Shikamaru being as cool and sweet as always **–hugs him-.** And Neji being NEJI…I just love this group.**

**And yeah, Sasame is the one from the NARUTO show. I didn't think she was annoying but I had to put her there. LOL**

**Why does Tsunade want to see Shikamaru? And where the hell is Gaara? What happened to Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura? Why is this chapter too short? Why am I writing these questions at 5:30am in the morning on the next day of the starting of this Chapter??**

**How the hell should I know?? XP**

**Please review**


	13. Chapter 12: Koe

Wow, 14 reviews so far. Biggest number I've ever achieved XP

Kirri Kitty: well, that's because I'm so bored and I don't have anything to do. So I spend my time on the PC writing this story. That's why I update sometimes daily.

Kilulu: I'm glad you liked them, I wasn't intending to give Hanabi a big role but I liked her as well. I think we might see a lot of her and LOTS of Shikamaru's soft side. I just love that guy.

Snickerz71: I'm so glad you liked it. Thanks for the review. Nice nickname. XD

I have to tell you guys something. School started on Saturday, February 10th. So you might not see me much and I won't be able to update daily. But I'll keep updating as soon as I can. XD

The name of the Chapter is not going to be only Naruto Theme songs but other songs as well XD

On to Chapter 12

**Please remember, Chapter 12**

Gaara was walking away from Hokage-sama's office. He had just finished his meeting with Tsunade, pleasantly ending with a both-side's agreement. On his way back, he was face to face with Shikamaru, walking to the opposite direction. Both didn't stop walking and passed each other.

**Konoha forest**

"200 punches!!" Lee said, punching the wooden cylindrical trunk. "…if I failed, I'll do 300 kicks." He yelled. Counting the punches he does. He felt some movement in the bushes. Lee suddenly turned around and threw a Kunai knife towards the bush, making sure not to hit the target, having a feeling about who's going to be in there.

"HEY!!!" Someone yelled and jumped out of the bushes. Sasuke's laughter was heard, Lee laughed.

"N-Naruto-kun!" Lee said, running to Naruto's side. Sasuke was clutching his sides. His laughter was provoking Naruto. "TEME-SASUKE. This is not funny!" Naruto's words made Sasuke Laugh, "You're still the clumsy idiot I've known forever" he said, now chuckling. Lee was laughing as well. A sudden smack went to the side of his head. "AND YOU!!! YOU SHOULDN'T THROW KNIVES CARELESSLY. YOU COULD'VE KILLED ME-TEBAYOO" Naruto yelled, Lee smiled. "I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, but a smart guy wouldn't Beat around the bush…literally" Lee said, Sasuke looked at Naruto and whispered. "In other words, you're an Idiot, teehee" Sasuke said, Naruto lunged at Sasuke but stopped in mid-air, sniffling.

"I smell miso pork RAMEN" He said, and ran towards the source of smell. Lee laughed and Sasuke smirked. "Saved by Ramen, I guess" Lee joked with Sasuke. "Yeah, you can say that." They both laughed. "Sasuke-kun…" Lee started.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked, Lee took a few steps backwards and places his left arm behind his back. He extended his right hand and took his usual fighting stance.

"Help me practice." He said, grinning. Sasuke smirked. "Why not? It'll be fun kicking your butt once in a while" he said, taking his own stance. Lee smiled "we'll see about that." Lee said, both getting ready, "Now…"

"LET'S FIGHT!" Both said, running towards each other.

**Skipping the fight because it's just practice and you know what's gonna happen XP.**

**Tsunade-sama's office**

Tsunade was still drowned in a pile of Papers. Shizune would come from time to time to cheer her up. But she was on a reconnaissance mission and she wasn't here to bother – more like to make things easy for- Tsunade. She turned the chair around and looked at the view. Seeing the view of Konoha made her somehow comfortable. Ever since she became Hokage she vowed that she'd protect it with everything she's got.

"…and I have the perfect generation to do so" she said, smiling as she thought of the young 9 Chuunins.

Knock, knock.

"Come in." the door was opened to reveal Shikamaru, who tried his best not to look annoyed or bothered. **(I love Shikamaru, who doesn't?)**

"Tsunade-sama. I've been told you asked for me?" He said, standing respectfully in front of Tsunade's desk.

"Yes, I have a mission for you…" She said. Shikamaru's face lit up. He was getting bored of his mother's arguments with his father, Chouji's eating habits and Ino's whining which was really overboard.

'_Ino'_ he mentally frowned at the thought of injured Ino, _'this is not the time. I have a mission, and I have to concentrate'_.

"This isn't a tough mission, but I'm sure you'll be pleased with it" Shikamaru firmly nodded. _'I hope it's a hard one. I need something to get me out of my troublesome state of laziness'_ he smiled at his own thought, as he remembered that Ino used to call him Lazy. _'Please be better when I return'_ he mentally said. Waiting for the details of the mission he was assigned to.

**In front of the Hokage Building, a few minutes later.**

Shikamaru has been told about his mission's details, it was the least he expected…

"WHAAAAAAAT?! YOU AGAIN!" Shikamaru yelled, taking a step back from the very displeased Temari.

"Yeah, So?" she replied, hands on her hips. Shikamaru sighed, "My mission is to take you around the town?" he asked, not believing that he would be assigned for such a mission.

She nodded, "Since I'm very bored and we're staying here for a very long time. I thought of taking a tour around the village and I told Tsunade that it's best for the Kazekage's sister to be accompanied by someone, you know, just in case…and I suggested you" she gave him an evil smile. "Why me? I'm a Chuunin and it's not my thing to baby sit" he said, turning around. Temari's face was beet red.

"BABY SIT? What the hell is THAT supposed to mean? HA??" She kept on whining and yelling at him. He didn't really pay any kind of attention to her, he just kept walking.

'_My god, she's such a troublesome woman…as expected'_ he thought as she followed him. "I see you agreed on the mission" she said. He looked at her. "I didn't say anything about agreeing. I walked away, you're the one following" he snickered. She crossed her arms. "Well, you agreed on the mission the moment you got out of Tsunade's office" she replied, stopping in front of him.

"I…." he stopped, as soon as he realized that she was right AND he couldn't find the words to say.

"I'm right, aren't I?" she stood, grinning at Shikamaru who couldn't help but to smile back. "No, you're not." He said, walking away. "C'mon, Mr. My-life-is-troublesome…" She said. He had a surprised expression on his face. "…It'll be fun. Besides, I lied about the I-suggested-you part. It was Tsunade who chose you for this mission. She thought you needed to chill out and take things easy. That's what she said" She said, smiling.

"Maybe" he said, "so where do you want to go first?" he asked, smiling. "I don't know. Take me on a tour." She grinned and he smiled back. "Alright!" He said, hands in his pocket. Temari clasped her hands together.

"Thanks, Shikamaru" she said, looking at the ground. He smiled, "That's my duty, Temari" she looked at him. He had a very cute smile on his face. She couldn't do anything but to smile back as they both toured around Konoha.

**Ino's Hospital room.**

Ino was slowly waking up, opening her eyes then quickly closing them back. The bright sunlight prevented her from opening them. She used her right hand as a shield and pushed herself up with her left arm. She sat up, now holding the sides of her head. "Ouch, this hurts" she whimpered. She looked out the window, still having her left hand on her head.

"What time is it?" she asked herself, "It's almost noon" someone replied, Ino turned her head towards the door, but she did it quickly, making her groan. Her vision was blurred, but she could make out some black, white and red colors. The figure started walking towards her. She closed her eyes for a second. She could hear the chair on her left being pulled.

"You ok?" the person asked. When she didn't reply, she felt a hand on her cheek; she opened her eyes to see him. The red-haired-blue-eyed devil they called Sabaku no Gaara, slowly caressing her cheek.

She blinked a couple of times when he moved his hand back to his lap. "Yes, thank you" she whispered, her voice was raspy and her mouth was dry, she turned to look at the table to her right, _'where's the damn water when you need it?'_ she thought.

"I think you're looking for this" Ino looked at him for a second, _'It's like he read my thoughts'_. He had a cup of water in his extended hand. She took it and drank it all at once then held the cup in her hands. Gaara was sitting on the chair, silently looking at the ground then looked up at her, she had her eyes closed and her face was grimaced, "do you want me to bring you anything?" he said. Gaara couldn't hide the fact that he was worried about her.

She smiled, nodding her head. "I'm fine..." She said, smiling. "…and thanks for coming" Ino said. Gaara smiled back, "I had to, I...I was worried about you" he said, diverting his vision away from her eyes. She chuckled. "Really?" she asked. Ino couldn't believe that he was worried about her. From the way he fought Lee 5 years ago, he didn't look like a guy who would worry about anyone.

"Yes…" he said, looking into her eyes. She tried to pull herself away from his gaze, but it didn't work. _'Just like the time I saw him that day'_ she thought. Pain shot in her head as she clutched it, the cup dropped on the bed, rolled and crashed on the ground. Gaara suddenly stood up. The girl in front of him was in pain, he didn't know what to do. _'Shall I call the doctor? What the hell am I supposed to do?'_ Gaara thought, then he had an Idea _'I don't know if it'll work, but I'll give it a shot' _he thought as he took a step closer to the bed.

Ino felt that her head was going to explode, clutching her head as hard as she could. If her nails were sharper, they would've surely gone through her head. She felt her tears rolling on her cheeks uncontrollably.

The pain was going on and off until she felt someone sitting on the bed next to her, arms went around her. She felt herself being drawn closer to someone. _'Gaara'_ she thought as she leaned into his chest. "It'll be over soon" he whispered, reassuring. Luckily, the pain was getting milder. Ino moved her hands from the side of her head to cover her face and sighed. He felt her relax, 'what_ is this feeling?'_ he thought. A few minutes later he pulled her away from him to look at her.

"Are you alright?" he asked. She moved her hands away and nodded, then groaned and leaned her head back on his chest. He rested his right hand on her back and his left rested on the back of her neck. He felt her get heavier. "Ino-san" he said. She didn't reply.

He chuckled. It was simple, Ino fell asleep. He couldn't understand how she would fall asleep so quickly. Gaara was adjusting her position so that he could lay her back when he heard muffled voices out the door:

"Naruto…Can't you wait for a minute!?"

"Na, You're too slow, Kiba!!!"

"Arf, Arf"

Ino was still in his Arms, _'they'd think I'm hurting her in some way'_ he thought. He took a look at her. He couldn't help but to admire the girl's features. Though she's asleep, Gaara thought she was beautiful. _'This is not the time'_, He shook his head and looked at the door, the knob was slowly turning, the voiced still talked…

**Outside Ino's Hospital Bedroom**

"You're very annoying, Naruto!" Kiba said. Everyone came by to visit Ino. Behind Kiba stood Shino, Hinata, Sakura, Neji, Naruto… and Tenten, who suggested that they'd all come and visit her. **(Wow, they're MANY main characters in this Anime)**

"You don't have to act all manly here. Don't you ever get tired of these arguments?" Sakura said. Kiba and Naruto glared at her. "I sure do" Neji said. Naruto and Kiba diverted their glare from Sakura to him; he glared back with his light purple eyes. Naruto shuddered.

"Here goes the staring contest…" Tenten said. Everyone laughed when they saw her drag Neji into Ino's room and they followed.

"INOOOO. WE'RE HERE TO VISIT…Huh?" Naruto started then paused when he saw Ino, sleeping peacefully in her bed. That wasn't what caught his attention. It was the wide open window.

"Who opened the window?" Hinata said, Tenten walked towards it and looked downwards and checked the surrounding area. _'Nothing's down there'_ she thought as she closed the window. Sakura walked towards her former best friend's bed and sat down. "Ino, are you there?" she joked. Though sometimes she hated Ino, but she never wished for something like this to happen. Ino stirred a bit which made Sakura slightly gasp. She opened her eyes and looked at the visitors.

"What's… going on here?" she asked, barely a whisper. Kiba and Naruto grinned. "Welcome back, INO-CHAN. We came to visit" Naruto yelled. Ino grimaced at his High pitched voice. "Would you be quite? This is a hospital. Not a parade" Sakura said, Naruto sighed and his eyes narrowed into lines.

"You're no fun, Sakura-Chan, Every time I say something you guys stop me…" he continued babbling, hands behind his head. Sakura shook her head and looked back at Ino, who was looking out the window. The others were trying to figure out two things: how Ino got injured, and how to shut Naruto Up

"How do you feel, Ino?" Sakura asked, Ino looked at her and smiled. "I'm better now …I think" she smiled. Sakura sighed and held Ino's hand, surprising Ino. She didn't remember when was the last time she held her hand, maybe when they were kids and were still best friends…

"I'm sorry, Ino…" Sakura started, Ino listened. "...This never had to happen. But whoever did this to you must pay…" Sakura firmly said. "…That's a promise from an old friend" she chuckled. Ino smiled at Sakura's words and held back her hand. "Thank you, Sakura." Ino replied. "I-I never wanted our friendship to become rivalry. I'm sorry" Sakura said, closing her eyes. Ino chuckled, "Please, Sakura. We'll talk about this later". Both stayed silent for a while, before they were cut by none other than the hyped-up beautiful young green beast.

"Good morning, Ino-san" he said. They all looked towards the door to see Lee and Sasuke, both were scratched, scraped and dirty.

"What happened to you two? Got into a cat Fight?" Kiba laughed. He got a few good glares from Sakura and Tenten, Neji was laughing on his own.

"No, we were practicing" Sasuke said, walking towards Ino's bed and stood next to Sakura. "Ino, long time no see. Did you get enough sleep? I heard that sleeping cause the girl to become FAT…" he joked, looking down at her laying figure and continued, "…I can already tell you put on a few kilograms"

In spite of her Injury, Ino still managed to put on the scary evil face and smile. "In your dreams, Sasuke-boy". Everyone laughed. Sakura smiled to Sasuke and he smiled back, both blushing. Ino noticed this and smiled. _'I guess I have no chance with him, after all'_ she thought. _'I wonder what happened while I was out'_

"Oi, Ino…" She turned her head to Naruto. "..Don't you remember what happened to you? How did you crack your head?" Naruto asked, _'Crack? She's not a wall, you know.'_ Neji sighed.

"Um...I…I don't really remember" She said, Sasuke turned to Naruto. "Of course she won't remember, Dobe. She's got a hit on the head" Sasuke spat out. Naruto was burning up, "Sasuke-teme. I swear I'll get you when you don't know" Naruto said, rolling up his left sleeve. They all laughed and Sasuke shook his head. Naruto sighed.

"I-It's ok, N-Naruto-kun. He was just kidding." Hinata said, Naruto looked at her and smiled. "You're right. I shouldn't take things seriously, Thanks Hina-chan" he said, she blushed. **(As always)**

A few minutes later, everyone was in a joking mood. Ino was laughing from time to time. She thought it really helped her get better. _'I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have those guys'_ she looked out the window. For some reason, she felt like something happened but she can't remember it. She closed her eyes for a second, her head hurt like a very bad migraine. She heard a soothing voice inside her head that helped to get rid of the headache, helped her to relax…

'…_It'll be over soon…'_

"Gaara…" she whispered, before falling asleep...

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

**TLD: **-Jumping from a very long oak tree- **TADAAA, this chapter is finally done. I'm really sorry, peeps. But I told you at the beginning that School started, it's now Friday…which is ONE WEEK after the day I started writing this chapter. School is making me have a MAJOR WRITERS BLOCK! So please please please forgive me...**

**This is a short chapter, Please forgive me because I have a very Bad stomache Ache LOL. **

**Oh, I need something from you guys. I want some Japanese Female names because SOMEONE might get a girlfriend XD I'm going to cry** -boo hoo-

**I loved Sasuke and Neji OOC-nee.. I think you'll be seeing a lot of that..HAHAHA**

**Love you all, Hope you enjoyed this chapter…** -calls in backup- …**NARUTO**

**Naruto: Please review-Tebayooo!!**

**TLD: that's a good boy… You heard him.**

**Ja ne.**


	14. Chapter 13: A new day

HELLOOOO…I'm back with more fluffiness. I'd like to send out a special 'thank you' to **Kilulu** and **Snickerz71** for their unbelievably great support. "Your great reviews are my inspiration" --- Lame quote XP

Now, Chapter 13. That's an Unlucky Number. I hope it doesn't make a bad effect.

THIS CHAPTER…ENTERS AN **OC-CHARACTER**

**This Chapter was very long so I had to cut in Half. Two chapters will be up, then!!**

ARE-YOU-READYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!?!?

**Please remember, chapter 13**

3 days later…

Ino was sitting on her bed, legs crossed, staring at the half curtained window. "I want to go to the flower shop" Ino said, moving her legs to the side of the bed and getting up. She was released from the hospital the day before and was quickly put in her room. Ino's parents thought it would be safer for her to stay in her room for a while. Ino still had her head bandaged but it was much better. She heard footsteps getting closer. _'Now what?'_ she thought.

"Ino pie, Sakura is here!" Inoichi said behind the closed door of Ino's room.

She sighed, _'are they trying to make me feel bett… wait, THEY ARE'_ she thought. "Sure, Let her in, dad" she said. The door was opened, Inoichi let Sakura in. she politely thanked him and walked in. Inoichi closed the door to give the girls some privacy. Ino studied Sakura's features. She wore what looked like a new dark blue sleeveless shirt, a white little skirt with matching sandals. Ino noticed Sakura's new look.

"You've cut your hair?" Ino asked, Shocked. Sakura nodded, grinning. "Yeah, Looks better, doesn't it?" She said, Ino nodded and looked at her clothes. "Dark blue and white…Don't those two colors remind you of someone?" Ino sarcastically asked. Sakura laughed, sitting in front of Ino on her bed. "Yes, yes. I figured that since Sasuke likes those colors, he'd want to see how I look in them. I think they look cool." They both laughed. "How's your head?" Sakura asked.

Ino adjusted her position so now she was holding her knees. "Well, I think I'm better now" she said, smiling. Ino also noticed that Sakura brought a bag with her that was now on the floor next to the bed. Ino stopped smiling and glared at the bag, making Sakura put on a very scared look. "What?" she asked.

Ino narrowed her eyes, "what's in the bag?" she asked, Sakura looked puzzled. Ino pointed at the bag and repeated, "What's in this bag?" Sakura looked at the bag,

"Oh, some stuff for me" She said, grinning. Ino frowned and leaned her head on her knees. "Oh my god, Sakura. You're totally coming here to mock me, didn't you? Showing that you're going out and shopping and styling up" she said in a whiny tone. Sakura laughed and picked up the bag.

"Hey, silly. I was kidding. I brought you some stuff" Ino's face lit up as she now sat kneeled **(Japanese style)**

"REALLY!?! Sakura, you're the best." Ino said, Jumping on Sakura and hugging her. Sakura shrieked as they both fell of the bed, on top of each other.

"OWW" Sakura screamed and Ino groaned. "Hey, you ok?" Sakura asked, trying to see whether Ino is fine or not. "Yeah, I'm ok" Ino said, pulling herself off Sakura. Just in time for her father to come in.

"Ino, are you ok? I've just heard some noi…WHAT THE HELL??" He yelled, seeing his daughter on top of her friend. Sakura looked at Inoichi and then at Ino. Both of them had widened eyes.

"That's bad." Sakura said, laughing. Ino laughed along, standing up and helping Sakura up. Inoichi wasn't getting the whole picture. He just walked in on his daughter in a weird position.

"I'm sorry, dad. We were talking about something then we hugged and fell off the bed…" Ino explained, touching her head. "…Speaking of which, my head hurts" she said, sitting on the bed. Inoichi sighed and walked to his daughter's bed, kneeling in front of her, checking her head.

"You should be careful next time, sweetie. Ok?" he ordered her, Ino nodded. Sakura stood by his side, smiling goofily at Ino, as if she's saying 'if we didn't explain, we'd be in trouble'. Ino giggled, Inoichi smiled. He knew his daughter wasn't that kind of girls, especially with a crazed Sasuke-lover.

"This is fine. But be careful, I don't want you back in the hospital, ok?" Inoichi said, getting up. Ino nodded. "And I don't want any weird stuff happening here" he joked, both girls laughed.

Inoichi walked out the door. Sakura laughed harder. "Oh my god, you're dad is unbelievable" she said, Ino wiped away tears of laughter. "I know. He's the best. Anyway…SHOW ME WHAT YOU GOT FOR ME" Ino screamed in excitement.

"I…" Sakura started, ruffling through the bag. "..Got you…" digging deeper into the bag. Ino waited impatiently.

"…THIS" Sakura said, getting out a baby blue Chinese satin sweater and a dark blue pants, with white thick lines on the sides with white shoes to match. Ino was in awe.

"Sakura, This is beautiful…where did you get that from?" Ino said, Sakura grinned, putting the shirt on the bed, "let's say that Tenten and I bonded in the last couple of days…" Sakura said. Ino touched the sweater. _'It's lovely'_ Ino thought, putting a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" Sakura said, sitting down on the bed. Ino looked up at her and smiled sincerely "Oh no, I Love it. I do…it's just…" Ino said, whispering a bit. "…My parents aren't allowing me to go out for…god knows how long. This is the first time that I admit that I miss working at the shop" she said, Sakura frowned.

"Well, it's probably for your own good. And don't worry; you'll be out and about in a few days. Cheer up. Besides, I'm here for you…actually. I have a very good rumor, want to hear it?" Sakura said, putting an evil expression and rubbing her hands together. Ino smiled evilly as well. "Yeah, sure. About who??" She asked, getting closer to Sakura.

Sakura laughed, "It's about Shikamaru…we think he has a girlfriend…hehehe" Sakura said, laughing, making Ino laugh in the process.

"OH MY GOD, that's great… I'll be mocking him 'till the day I die" She said, both laughing. Sakura continued to tell Ino about the news she's heard in the last couple of days.

Luckily for Ino, Sakura was a copy of her. Having interest in everything she had. Let's say that Ino considered Sakura as her eyes and ears to the outside world during her stay in her room

**Hokage Building**

Gaara was in his office, working on a couple of paper works **(duh)** when…

"Can you stop it already?"

Those few words were heard outside the door; Gaara lifted his head from the papers and looked at the door, raising one of his eyebrows **(If there are any)**. The voices were drawing closer.

"I'm your big brother; I have the right to know"

"Big brother my butt. I'm older than you. Geez, I can't believe you don't know that yet."

The door opened. Kankurou and Temari were arguing as always. Gaara decided to ignore them, they both walked towards his desk.

"You've been going out for the past few days and god knows where or with whom." Kankurou said. Temari put both her hands on her waist and waited for Gaara to say something. He stared at both of them with a blank look on his face.

"What?" he calmly said, looking back down at the papers he was checking. Temari groaned. "Kankurou is butting in my own business and he won't BUTT OUT" she yelled in Kankurou's face. He snickered as a reply. Gaara remained silent for a couple of minutes till he dropped the pencil he was holding on the desk and got up.

"And you want me to…" he slowly asked, in a way to let Temari answer him back. Temari stuttered. _'He has that look on his face again'_ Kankurou thought. He was right; Gaara had the blank, enigmatic look in his eyes.

"Well, tell him to let me be" she said, pleading him. Gaara sighed, closing his eyes. He walked away from the desk and past his older siblings without saying a word.

"I'm going out… try to figure out whatever between the two of you" he said, opening the door and getting out of his office.

Temari looked at Kankurou who nodded his head in refusal. "I will not let you out, ESPECIALLY dressing like this" he said. Temari was wearing a short-like baby-blue Kimono top, with a black skirt, a red sash around her waist and a grey overall-top. On her legs were her usual net-leg holders **(The one she wore in her debut in the fight with Orochimaru's goons, the sound's four.)**

Temari looked down at her outfit, she thought nothing's wrong with it. She looked up at Kankurou evilly, "Say, Kankurou… How about we make a deal?" she slyly said. "What kind of a deal?" he asked.

"Well…" she started, her hand went to her chin, "I was thinking maybe you could let me go out for a while and I'll owe you?" she said, not sure of what she actually proposed. He grinned, "Sure, but remember that YOU suggested that YOU…" he said, pointing in her face. "…OWE ME" pointing at himself, he replied, stressing on the last few words. "Arrgh, Yeah, I owe you." She said, crossing her arms. Kankurou laughed.

"What is this important thing that would make you –Temari, the hotheaded one in the family – owe me?" he asked, she blushed.

"It's none of your business. It's, Uh…Girls stuff" she said, Kankurou raised his eyebrows, "Oh, is that so?" he slyly replied, making his sister blush.

"…I spy…a guy that you have a crush on, am I right?" he said, she turned red. "Well, Kinda" Kankurou laughed, making Temari mumble something under her breath that sounded like a threat.

"Ok then…" he said, crossing his arms.

"So?" She asked, clasping her hands together in a pleading manner.

Kankurou looked at the ceiling as if he's thinking then looked at his older, very demanding sister. "OK!" He yelled, smiling. "THANK YOU…" she yelled back. He looked at her quizzically. "For what?" he said, but Temari was already out the door.

"I DIDN'T GIVE YOU THE PREMISSION TO GO OUT!! I only said OK THEN" he yelled, Temari peeked in. "well, you said two letters: O.K." she said, winking at her brother and waving her hand. Kankurou was alone in Gaara's office.

"I'm never going to act like the overprotective brother…well, I never did, anyway." He took a look at a few papers, holding one up. Everything written in that paper appeared as gibberish to him. He disgustingly threw the paper; he wasn't the working type of guys. Kankurou sure was glad he didn't have to success his father of being Kazekage. He looked around, noticing that he's probably the only one in Konoha with nothing to do.

"I should get a life, get a girlfriend, maybe" he grinned at his own thought of having a girlfriend. Kankurou walked out of his brother's office, closing the door behind him.

**Outside the Hyuuga residence**

Neji and Hiashi were practicing their jutsu, Byakugan, Jyuuken and Chakra control as usual. The weather was calm and clear, making the concentration of the two get stronger.

"You're getting slower, old man" Neji said, smirking at his Uncle. Hiashi smiled. "You're dreaming, Neji-kun." He said, before disappearing. Neji used his Byakugan and quickly turned 180˚, using his left arm to stop Hiashi's attack. Neji pushed him and took a few steps away, reforming his gentle-fist stance. Hiashi was smiling all the time, _'he sure has become stronger than before, detecting me like this.'_ he thought. Hiashi stood straight, hands behind his back. Neji released his Byakugan and stood straight as well

"Well done, Neji. Let's take a break. We've been practicing for a while now" Hiashi said, walking towards the mansion. "Hai" The young **(HOT XP)** Hyuuga replied politely.

Neji walked towards the wooden floor and sat down, wiping the beads of sweat off his face with a towel and drinking a small cup of water that were set next to him. He closed his eyes, enjoying the moment of silence, hearing the birds chirping and feeling the calm breeze hit his face. _'This is comforting'_, he thought. Taking a deep breath and sighing heavily.

Unfortunately, this moment of peace was cut once a bright, loud orange color entered the territory.

"GOOD MORNING, NEEEEEJI" The voice was very, VERY familiar to Neji. His face squirmed in disbelief and mumbled under his breath. "This is not happening, Please don't let this be true, please…"

"Oi, Neji. Are you there? Earth to Neji!!!" Naruto said, waving his hand in his face. Neji slowly opened his eyes.

"More like Mars to Neji" he replied, Naruto squeezed his eyes closed. "Nani? What's wrong? Let me guess, it was a good day but something ruined it?" Naruto guessed, grinning. Neji sarcastically smiled. "That's exactly it, Naruto. You're getting smarter by the day."

"Hehehe. That's because I'm…" Naruto turned around and put his hands in the air, "…Uzumaki Naruto. That's right-Tebayooo!" He yelled, Grinning and giving the 'cool guy' pose. Neji shrieked.

"Oh my god, not you too" Neji said. Naruto turned back to face him.

"Well, I think it is cool" he said then walked closer to Neji. "Oi, Neji. Where's Hinata-Chan?" he whispered, covering the side of his mouth with his hand. The purple-eyed narrowed his eyes. "She's upstairs. Why do you ask?" he firmly replied. Naruto sweat-dropped. "Eh? Nothing! We're just hanging out…Just friends, no more." He blurted out the words. Neji laughed.

"Naruto-kun, Neji kun. Good morning, a beautiful one, isn't it?" The voice broke the conversation. It was the younger version of Gai-sensei. Neji sighed. "Just when I thought things weren't getting any better…" Neji muttered, getting up. "Eh? What did you say!!?" Naruto yelled, Neji covered his ears.

"Naruto, please. Be quiet!! I'm right here, not villages away" Neji yelled. Naruto and Lee laughed along, each one of them laughed for a totally different reason:

'_Oh my god, he's extremely idiotic'_

'_Neji-kun and Naruto-kun got along together really well these days, I wonder why?'_

'_Where the hell is Hinata?'_

"Hello, everyone." A small, delicate voice broke the fit of laughter. They all turned to look at Hinata, who was wearing a white sleeved shirt and long dark-blue baggy satin pants that matched the color of her hair, which was tied in a high ponytail. Naruto was stunned.

"H-Hinata-Chan. You look lovely" Naruto said with sparkling eyes and shaky voice. She smiled and blushed a little bit. Neji smiled at his younger cousin.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun…" she said, fiddling with her hands that were hid behind her back. Neji looked at the younger two who were lost in each other. "Hey, where are you guys going to?" Neji broke the couple's eye contact, glaring at Naruto.

"Uh, Out?" he said innocently. Hinata walked to Naruto's side, pulled him away and waved at Neji and Lee. "See ya, Neji-nii-chan" Hinata yelled, running off with a very stumbling Naruto.

The older Hyuuga got up to follow them but was stopped by Lee. "Neji-kun, what's your problem?" He asked, Neji sighed.

"I don't want her to be alone with Uzumaki" he said, Lee laughed. "I understand that you're worried about her, but she's 16 years old. She's old enough to make her own decision. Besides, Naruto-kun is the best guy there is in the whole wide world for her." lee explained, smiling. Neji sighed and sat down.

"I know, but she's grown up pretty fast in those few years and things are getting harder for me, especially after…" he stopped. Lee quizzically looked at him then sat by his side. "What's bothering you?" lee politely asked.

Neji rested his elbows on his knees. "Well, Hiashi-san asked me to…" he stopped again, taking a deep breath then continuing, "…become the next Hyuuga successor, Leader, whatever you call it." Neji said. Lee was overwhelmed with the news.

"Are you serious? What did you tell him?" He anxiously asked. Neji looked to the ground. "He gave me some time to think, and I haven't been thinking about it." Neji replied, fiddling with his hands.

Lee patted him on the back. "Neji-kun…" the latter looked at him. Lee was sincerely smiling, "If you want my opinion, you'll make a great leader." Neji was surprised with Lee's words. Then again, that's Rock lee, He compliments everyone.

Neji smiled sincerely at his team-mate, "Thanks, Lee. I hope I could be able to do it" Neji said, Lee grinned. "Does that mean you'll take the job?" He asked, Neji smirked. "Maybe, I don't know. I need more time to think…" Neji replied, getting up and turning to the side. His back was facing lee.

In spite of not having any special jutsu or ability, Lee could clearly read the expression of Neji's body movement.

'_He's troubled'_ Lee thought, waiting for his friend to say something.

Neji sighed deeply, "…I'm nervous. What if I screw it up?" Neji said, Lee stood up and walked to his friend's side.

"You won't. Believe me, I've been your team-mate for the last 5 years and to tell you the truth…"Lee said, lowering his head, "…I've always looked up to you, wanting to be like you…the cool guy and the great leader of our team." Lee said, smiling.

Neji smiled as well, nodding his head. "It's hard to hear someone call me a cool guy, especially from THE cool guy" he said, smiling and giving Lee the pose that the latter and guy-sensei are famous with. Lee laughed so hard making Neji undo his pose.

"What are you laughing at?" Neji asked, angrily. Lee wiped his tears. "That was cool, but you don't know how to do it, Man. There's something missing. Hehehe" Lee said, still laughing. Neji laughed along.

"I forgot to ask, how's that leg of yours?" Neji asked, pointing at lee's leg. Lee looked down at it,

"Oh? It's much better. Thanks to Gai-sensei, it healed in no time. He visited me lots of time and he always cheered me up. He's my role model." Lee said. Stars were literally in his eyes. Neji smiled.

"I can't believe how close you guys are. It's like he's your father." Neji said. Lee nodded. "Yeah, he's like my father. Actually, everyone thinks that, you know, because of the looks, and all." Lee said, waving his hands in the air. "That's true" Neji replied.

A couple of footsteps were heard, Hanabi showed up a few seconds later. Not noticing Lee's presence.

"Neji-nii-chan, I was wondering if you…HELLO!" She stopped her speech as soon as she saw Lee, Hanabi blushed a bit.

"Good morning, Hanabi-Chan" lee replied. Hanabi switched to the 'Hinata-mode', her two index fingers bumped slightly against each other.

"I'm sorry if I interrupted anything…" Hanabi said, blushing **(YES, SHE HAS A CRUSH ON LEE…GET OVER IT, PEOPLE!!)**

"No, it's ok. Actually, I was on my way to check on Ino. You want to come, Neji?" Lee asked, Neji nodded in refusal. "I'm sorry, but it's time for Hanabi's training, I'm responsible for it" Neji smiled. Hanabi's face lit up by Neji's answer.

'_It's Time for training. Awesome!! If I get stronger, Lee-kun might like me'_ Hanabi thought, blushing at the sight of lee.

"Ok, then. Excuse me, Neji-kun…Hanabi-Chan" He nodded respectfully and ran, out the Hyuuga territory, in Lightning speed.

Neji smiled, _'he's always in a rush. He should learn to take things easy. He's definitely the anti-Shikamaru, That's for sure'_ Neji thought then turned his attention towards the youngest Hyuuga.

"Are you ready for training?" Neji asked. Hanabi nodded and crossed her arms. "I'm sure I'm able to defeat you now" she said, smiling.

"That's good, Hana. This is how I want you to be. Because confidence and hope always make you conquer anything" he said in a really fatherly tone.

"Ok, Neji. You're beginning to freak me out. I don't want two daddies around the house." She said, putting her hands in defense in front of her. Neji laughed and his hand went to the back of his neck.

"Ah, well. I try to sound wise…" he started. Hanabi had a plain look on her face, "…Didn't work, did it?" He continued. Hanabi silently but strongly nodded her head as a big 'NOOOO'

"You don't look like a wise guy. More like a player" she said, winking. Neji blushed. "I'm not. Besides, where did you hear that word? We never say that in the household. " Neji asked, Hanabi grinned.

"From Naruto-kun" she replied. Neji's face turned beet red, his gentle hands turned into a fist.

'_I'm going to kill you, Uzumaki'_ he thought. As long as Naruto is around, his family is ruined, or so he thought.

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

**End of Chapter 13, please review!!**


	15. Chapter 14: Amazed by you

Continuing from the last chapter, ENJOY!!

**Please remember, Chapter 14**

**Half an hour later, around Konohagakure beach.**

Naruto and Hinata were walking alongside the beach, Hinata's favorite relaxing spot, to enjoy some quiet time from the young Genins. Apparently, wherever Naruto and Hinata go, Konohamaru and the others follow just to mock him about having a girlfriend. Of course, during all that, Hinata almost fainted, TWICE.

"Thank you for the juice, Naruto" Hinata said, taking a sip from the 'Naruto special Cocktail', the sea water stroking her feet. Naruto practically walked in the water, sometimes walking on it or doing some things on it that would make Hinata laugh.

"No problem, I thought that you might try something new. Hehehe" Naruto laughed, making Hinata giggle.

"What's the deal with the name of this juice?" she asked, Naruto's eyes squeezed. "Hmm, it's a long story" He said. Hinata smiled, walking closer to Naruto, her shoulder brushing against his. "I've got all day" she said, which sounded more like a whisper. Both of them noticed how close they were so they both blushed and backed away a bit.

"Um, Ok. Well, on one day, after returning from one of the missions. I went to Ichiraku to eat some delicious ramen. But gi-chan closed the shop because he was making this new ramen that is one of my favorite right now…" he said, getting lost of his own thoughts about Ramen. "…Ramennnnnn…" Hinata laughed. She listened carefully to every word he said, except that ramennnnnn part.

"…anyway, I went to this shop, that I took you to a moment ago, and they had different kinds of Juice and I didn't know what to choose. I asked the guy there to bring me all kinds of drinks; I didn't like any of them. So, I ended up mixing them together, thus creating the 'Uzumaki Naruto Special cocktail'" he said, putting his fists on his waist as a mark of victory. Hinata giggled and took another sip of the juice. "It's getting pretty popular around" he said, grinning.

"Well, to tell you the truth, you have a very good taste. I really love it" she said, blushing. Naruto smiled. Five years ago, it meant a lot to him when Hinata wanted to be acknowledged by him. And now, he was very happy knowing that Hinata is always by his side, supporting him in every decision he makes, she even liked the cocktail he created out of pure boredom that day.

"I'm…"he started. Hinata noticed the change of tone in his voice, "I'm really glad that you liked it" he said, smiling sincerely at her. She smiled back, walking closer to him. Her shoulder bumped into his, he automatically raised his arm and put it around her shoulder, bringing her closer. She closed her eyes and relaxed, they were both walking silently, letting the sea breeze hit them softly. Hinata suddenly chuckled. Naruto looked at her.

"What is it?" he said, smiling. She looked at him. "Did you see the look on Neji's face when you showed up? I was watching from the window upstairs, hehehe" she said, taking the last sip of the juice before throwing it in a nearby trash can. They both laughed.

"Yeah, that was hilarious. He hates me, doesn't he?" Naruto joked. Hinata nodded in denial. "No, he doesn't hate you. You just get on his nerves." She chuckled. "He doesn't like me being around you all the time" he replied. Hinata looked at him and smiled.

"I don't care whether he likes it or not, I like it" she said, blushing. Naruto laughed and pulled her closer to him. "I'm really glad that I have someone like you in my life, Hinata-Chan" Naruto said, making her blush. Hinata put her arm around Naruto's back, the other rested on his chest.

"I'm glad that I have you, Naruto-kun" she replied. Naruto hugged her tighter. _'This is nice. I love this'_, Naruto thought, resting his chin on the top of her head, taking a deep breath of Hinata's scent. He always loved how she smelled. It was complicated. She smiled like…

"…honey." Naruto whispered. Hinata's eyes widened, misunderstanding this whole situation. _'Did he just call me honey? Oh my god'_ Hinata thought, her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.

Naruto released Hinata out of his tight hug and looked at her, "Now, where do you want to go?" he asked, she was still surprised of the 'honey' situation.

"Uh, I-I don't know. W-where do you want t-to go, N-Naruto-kun?" she stuttered. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Are you ok, Hinata?" he asked, she shook her head and smiled, "I'm fine, Naruto-kun…" she started and then slyly said,

"…I bet you're dying for some ramen, right?" She said, he grinned. "Yup!" he yelled, she laughed. "Let's go, then." She said, running along the beach. "Oi, Hinata. Wait for me" he said, catching up to her.

**Near Konohagakure river**

Sakura had left Ino's house an hour and a half ago **(Don't ask me about the times, because I don't care about them XD)**, she decided to take a walk, getting some fresh air into her lungs.

"Hmmm, what to do?" she said, looking around. She walked towards the bridge and stared at the flowing river beneath, thinking about her future, wondering if she would someday become like Tsunade-sama, a great Medic and a legendary leader. Sakura sighed; she didn't notice that someone was sneaking up behind her.

"That sigh sounded like you're troubled, am I right?" a girl's voice said, Sakura looked to the source of the voice. She saw a girl almost her height, probably her age. The girl had a long brown hair, tied in a bun and hazel eyes. She wore red pants and a Satin long sleeved white Kimono-like shirt. She politely stood. Her hands were behind her back.

"You're right." Sakura said. The young girl stood by her side, leaning on the railing. Sakura looked at her and narrowed her eyes, "You look familiar…" She said, the girl smiled and replied. "You might've seen me in Tsunade-sama's special course of training. We're both Tsunade-sama's apprentices…" The girl said, "…I've been practicing with Tsunade-sama for two years now." Sakura awed and smiled.

"That's good. What level have you reached?" Sakura asked. The girl looked up to the sky, trying to recall the information.

"Um…level 99, I guess" the girl said, Grinning at Sakura. Sakura was surprised, "That's awesome, I've been with Tsunade-sama for five years now and I'm still at level 83" Sakura replied. The girl laughed, turning around a leaning her back against the railing. **(I made up the whole level thingy, because I like it XP)**

"What was your worst level?" she asked, Sakura laughed, "I would say Level 61, working with Gamakichi and Gamatatsu was a pain" both girls laughed, "I liked those two" the girl said.

Their laughter slowly turned into small chuckles. Sakura extended her right hand. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Haruno Sakura, and you are?" Sakura said, the girl smiled and shook Sakura's hand, "I'm Ishikawa Kagome, nice to meet you too" She smiled sincerely. Sakura smiled back. She thought it was good to know someone who shares the same ability besides Tsunade-sama, both Sakura and Kagome talked about their Medical abilities and each Shared information about things the other didn't know.

**Yamanaka residence**

Ino was trying the new clothes which were bought for her by Sakura. Looking at the mirror, Ino smiled to herself. _'These clothes were made for you, Ino'_ she thought, grinning to herself in the mirror. She turned around and walked towards the bedroom door.

'_I have to convince them to go out, I'm sick of this'_ Ino thought as she went downstairs, "Mom, dad." Ino called, and then stopped when she saw this weird scene.

Her father was wearing a pink apron and oven mittens while her mother lied down on the couch, watching TV, "Ino sweetie, how do you feel?" Asuka asked, sitting up. Ino still had a shocked look on her face.

"Wow, this is nice. My parents are officially the weirdest parents on the face of the earth" she muttered, then replied to her mother.

"Hey mom, I'm fine. I've never felt better" Ino said, trying to look and sound much better than she feels, she would sometimes feel a little dizzy or light-headed.

"That's much better" Inoichi replied, he was baking some kind of a cake. Ino swore that she smelled something burning.

"Uh, Mom, Dad, I'm going to the flower shop, See ya!" She said, walking quickly towards the door.

"WAIT A MINUTE, MISSY" Inoichi said. Ino stopped in her track; both she and Asuka looked surprisingly at him. What he said didn't sound very masculine. He was surprised himself.

"Well, the doctor said you shouldn't leave your room, not to mention the house" he said in a firm tone. Ino frowned, "But I'm really bored, I feel like I can't breathe. I'll stay inside the shop, I promise. But please don't keep me here. I'll die, you know. Yamanaka Ino doesn't like to stay at home 24/7" she said in a whiny tone. Asuka laughed, both Inoichi and Ino looked at her.

"Ino, go. You'll be fine. I'm sure of it. Just be careful not to hit your head again, you're being clumsy." she said, remembering how Ino finally managed to get the lost memories of the incident the day before and told her about it, she laughed at her own daughter's carelessness.

"REALLY? Thank you mom…" Ino said, going to her mother's side and hugging her. "…I owe you BIG TIME" she said, Asuka laughed. Inoichi smiled, watching his baby-girl walking out the door.

"Are you sure it's ok?" He asked, Asuka sighed, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.

"Yes, she'll be fine. And please, get out of the kitchen. You're making a mess" she smirked. Inoichi Laughed and helped his wife to fix the mess he created.

**Konohagakure streets**

The red haired young man was walking down the street, enjoying his time in this big village and getting some fresh air in the process.

"Kazekage-sama" Gaara turned around the moment he heard his name being called. He turned around to see a little boy. "Um, yes? How can I help you?" Gaara said as calm as possible. The kid smiled, holding a little ball in his hand.

"I-I'm the boy whose ball a-accidentally hit y-you and I-I wanted to a-apologize for that. Sumimasen" the boys stuttered, raising the ball as a significance to his words. Gaara smiled and kneeled down.

"You don't have to apologize. It was nothing" he replied, the young boy smiled. "Are you going to stay here for a while, Kazekage-sama?" the boy said, Gaara smiled and put his hand on the boy's head.

"Yes, for a while…" he said, the boy's eyes glittered, "…and Call me Gaara, The title is just too long" the young boy was glad, he didn't have anyone as cool as Gaara –or so he thought- to talk to.

"That's great, Gaara. My name is Kenji. It's very nice to meet you" he said, bowing in respect. Gaara was surprised to see a five years old act like a grown up. He was starting to like this kid.

"It's nice to meet you as well." Gaara replied, the boy grinned. Gaara chuckled when he noticed that one of the kid's teeth was missing. "Where do you live, kiddo?" Gaara said, getting up. The boy looked up at him and pointed behind him.

"I live over there" Gaara turned around. The house was a couple of meters away. He turned his attention to the boy again.

"Aren't you supposed to be having lunch now? It's almost noon" he said, the boy nodded. "Uhm, I'm on my way home, actually. I have to go now." Kenji said, running and waving at Gaara.

"It was nice talking to you, Gaara" Kenji yelled. Gaara raised his hand and waved it a bit. He smiled at the kid's energy, reminding him of a certain blonde. As soon as his thoughts were finished, he saw him, at his usual place, Ichiraku Ramen Bar.

"OLD MAN, BRING ME ANOTHER MISO PORK RAMEN. PUT IN A BIG BOWL THIS TIME, PLEASE!!!" Naruto yelled. Gaara laughed at his straight-forwardness. He noticed that there was a young girl with him _'probably his girlfriend'_ he thought, chuckling and continuing walking.

He reached a familiar road; he was here a couple of nights ago. The street was full of people: buying, selling, giving, taking, eating, kissing…Um, you name it. He was looking around; they all seem to know each other, very well, that is. That's expected from a village that has known nothing but peace.

That's when he saw her, the blonde girl from that day, coming from the opposite direction, not noticing him. She paced quickly into a shop. He looked at the sign, it said:

'_Yamanaka flower shop'_ he thought. He stood still, thinking.

'_Should I go in there? Say hello? Check on her? Or…just walk off'_ Gaara was having a mental fight, not knowing what to do. Is he going to walk empty handed? Not giving her anything as a 'get well soon' gift. He didn't know what to do. This wasn't very familiar to him. _'It's not like I do this everyday'_

He made up his mind. Gaara took a deep breath and continued walking.

**Yamanaka flower shop**

Ino walked into the shop. Behind the counter, stood Shikamaru's beloved, Sasame. Ino smirked; she knew Shikamaru hated the sound of her name. But Ino always mocked him by calling Sasame 'his beloved'.

"Good morning, Sasame" Ino said cheerfully, waving as she came in. Sasame smiled brightly but quickly had a puzzled look on her face; she checked the clock above the door.

"Hmm..." she started, putting her index finger against her chin. "...it's almost noon so I don't think it is morning anymore. I think you should say good afternoon or…good noon, or something, yeah." Sasame babbled non-stop about the 'good morning's and 'good afternoon's and things like that for a whole five minutes. Ino's jaw almost hit the ground. _'Oh my god she talks too much'_ she thought, shaking her head.

Ino raised her hands in front of her, "Ok, Ok. Calm down, STOP!!" he said, Sasame stopped talking. Ino sighed, lowering her hands to her sides.

"I'm going to be in charge today." She simply said, walking behind the counter and picking an extra white apron that was under the counter. Sasame stood there. "But I'm the one in Charge today" she said, Ino tied the apron around her waist, tying the knot, as hard as she can, in anger.

"Well, I came back so…" she clapped her hands together and used both hands to point at the door. "…you're free to go" she said, smiling. Sasame sighed and took off the apron. She looked deeply at Ino, Ino's eyebrow raised. "What?" she asked, Sasame sighed deeply and said.

"Do you know how to do this?" She asked, Ino mentally fell down and then got up **(Anime style)** she rubbed her temples with both the middle and index fingers, sighing HEAVILY…and I mean HEAVILY.

"You're also tired so…" she said, only to be cut by Ino.

"Sasame, I'm going to say this one more time. I, Yamanaka Ino, will be in charge of the YAMANAKA flower shop, which I was born and raised in, today. So unless you have anything else to say, please leave, Or stay, whatever you want. Just stop talking, PLEASE!" She said in an impatient tone.

Sasame took off her apron and put it aside, "Ok, Ok. You don't have to tell me twice." She walked away from the counter and towards the door. On her way, she accidentally hit one of the small pots which were recently –generously- watered, but Ino didn't pay attention to it. Sasame turned around with a dramatic look on her face…

"You could've been nicer to me, Ino…" Ino felt bad for once, she shouldn't have spoken to her in that tone. But she really got on her nerves. Sasame continued, very dramatically:

"I'll be back…" and with that, she was out the door. Ino rested her head on the counter, she couldn't believe that this girl can cause this much trouble.

"I don't know how you can be tolerant with this girl, but if I were you, I would've blown up" someone said, Ino gasped. _'That voice, I know it…'_

Ino looked up slowly, to see none other than Gaara, standing as nonchalant as ever, smiling at her.

"G-Gaara" she said, he walked towards the counter, "I see you've gotten a lot better than the last time I saw you" he said, she stood straight and nodded. "T-that's true" she barely spoke out the words. For some reason, Ino was afraid of him. She was especially afraid of that look in his eyes. If looks could kill, she'd be 6 feet under by now.

Gaara didn't know what to say. He wasn't a very verbal guy. Instead, he looked around, checking a few flowers. A flower in the back row caught his eye, the same purple flower he saw almost a week ago in the cheap hotel he stayed in. Ino walked to his side.

"How can I help you, Gaara?" she politely asked, he looked at her for a while then turned his attention back to that flower.

"I want two of those purple ones…" he pointed out at them then looked at Ino, who looked back at him, "…Please" he continued politely. She nodded, smiling and leaned to pick it up. Unconsciously, Gaara was watching her the whole time. She turned around and held them in her hand, explaining to Gaara what they mean:

"That's an excellent Choice; purple flowers represent dignity, pride and success. They also represent accomplishment and admiration. That fits your preferment as Kazekage" she sincerely smiled, taking a step forward, forgetting about the spilt water by Sasame. Ino gasped and slipped, closing her eyes and waiting to hit the ground but she didn't. Instead, she felt a pair of strong arms holding her around the waist.

'_What happened?'_ she thought, slowly opening her eyes. Bright bluish-green eyes were staring right back at her own. For once, Ino felt her heart stop beating. Gaara smiled, helping her to stand up straight but still had his arms around her.

"Are you ok?" He said, grinning. Ino stuttered, "Um, Yes, I-I'm fine" Ino was still in a shock. He was there, smiling at her, holding her in his arms. She looked in his eyes and he looked back. Both were lost in each other. Ino swallowed hard as she felt his face getting closer to hers. She automatically closed her eyes, preparing herself for what could be her first, most amazing kiss in her life. He was leaning closer; their face was only centimeters apart. He titled his head so his cheek would caress hers, his lips getting closer to her ear.

"Ino…" he whispered. Her breath was caught in her throat "…You should be careful. You don't want to get hurt like the last time I found you. I might not be here the next time." He said, moving his head to face her, to look in her eyes. With those words he backed away, Leaving Ino in a mental shock, still holding the flowers in her hands.

A few seconds later, Ino shook her head slowly and walked behind the counter. Gaara slowly walked closer towards the counter. She quickly wrapped the flowers and handed them over to Gaara who gently accepted them, His hand touching hers. Ino could feel the Goosebumps form on her skin.

"Thank you" he said in a very mild tone. His voice was as warm as it was in the hospital. Ino nodded, smiling nervously as he handed over the coins.

"Thank you for coming to Yamanaka flower shop, please come again" she had to say this sentence. Her parents always told her to be nice to costumers; she had to be nice to him, To Sabaku no Gaara. He smiled slyly.

"I'll be sure to do so…" he nodded respectfully and walked out the door. The moment he walked out, Ino sat down on a chair- which was behind the counter, holding her hand against her chest.

'_My god…'_ Ino has never felt such a rush. Her heart was beating so fast and strong she could actually see her chest move with the beats. She felt as she was almost out of breath, her eyes were almost watering. The situation that occurred a moment ago left Ino feeling a bit of dizziness. She assumed that blood must have stopped flowing to her brain. **(The Gaara effect XP)**

"Gaara…" she said, turning her shocked expression to a smile. She remembered 'Sabaku no Gaara' from five years ago, the heartless cruel bastard who was hated by everyone. Now he's back, to fix everything…and to steal her heart away, starting today.

"…I'm amazed by you…" Ino muttered, thinking about him.

B.R.E.A.K…L.I.N.E.

**FINALLY!! THIS CHAPTER IS FRIGGIN DONE!!!**

**Didn't you notice that Gaara took 5 minutes to walk for 3 meters maximum? Man, he's slow!!**

**I can't believe that this chapter is THIS long that I had to cut it in TWO PARTS**

**Naruto: Damn Right-Tebayooo!!**

**TLD:** Smacks Naruto's head with a paper fan **Get Out of here…I'm talking to the readers.**

**Naruto: I'm only Advertising. Can I please say it?**

**TLD: say what?**

**Naruto: The Magic word??**

**TLD: what magic word!!?**

**Naruto: the one you say to the readers every chapter!!**

**TLD:** scratching her head **…you lost me.**

**Naruto:** Looking at you, readers. **PLEASE REVIEW!!!!**

**TLD: you heard the little Fella!!**

**PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	16. Chapter 15: Broken

Thanks a lot to Snickerz71, Kilulu and Kirri kitty for the reviews and the big support. Hope you like this chapter as well.

**D.I.S.C.L.A.I.M.E.R.: It's been a while since I last wrote one, I do NOT own Naruto nor the stuff mentioned in this episode, Teehee.**

**I had to break this chapter into two parts as well, because it's too long, teehee!!**

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 15**

**-In some fancy restaurant-**

Shikamaru was on a date with Temari. He managed to pull himself together and ask her out a few days ago and now…here they are.

Temari put the fork and knife down and smiled, "This is great, I'm really having fun" she said, Shikamaru smiled back. "Me too, AND if you liked it that much, we could do this everyday" he said, leaning back in his chair. Temari had a blank look on her face.

"We ARE doing this EVERYDAY. From the moment I arrived to Konoha, I gained 5 kilograms…and I'm not happy" she said to a laughing Shikamaru.

"You don't look fat to me. I think you look great…" he said before leaning on the table "…I think you look great no matter what" he said, winking. Temari blushed.

"You're such a flirt" she said, waving her hand in the air, making Shika laugh. He raised his hand to call for the waiter, he hand signaled for the 'bill'. The waiter nodded, understanding, and going to the cash register guy.

"So, do you want some dessert?" he asked, she thought about it for a second. "Nah, I saw what they have on the menu. I didn't like any" she said with a bored expression on her face. He took a sip from his Coca-Cola ©, and talked while holding it in his hand.

"Well, I knew that. That's why we're going somewhere else" he slyly grinned. Temari shook her head. "You really are one of a kind, Nara Shikamaru" she said, moving her index finger playfully against the tip of her cup.

He smirked, "I don't even know how I managed to ask you out, Uh…" he stopped, thinking. "…Here I am, sitting here with you on a date, not having a single clue about your last name" he said, she laughed hard, trying to contain her laughter in this fancy place.

The waiter showed up with the bill and handed it to Shikamaru. Temari giggled at Shikamaru's early state. "I don't use my last name. I just go by Temari, or in some cases, people call me Sabaku no Temari. They got that from Gaara, although Gaara has a unique personality that goes with that title, I don't." she said, noticing that Shikamaru wasn't paying attention.

He was concentrating on the price which was written on the little tiny piece of paper they called 'bill'. Temari tried to take a peek at the bill. From the look on Shikamaru's face, the price was pretty high. Temari smirked.

"You don't have that much of money, do you?" she said, giggling. He turned his attention to her, raising both eyebrows. "What? Oh, that. No, I have that much of money. But I was wondering… we didn't eat that much, did we?" he said, studying the bill. Temari sighed.

Shikamaru read the list from top to bottom, "Caesar Salad, 2 coca-cola, pepper steak, spicy chicken fillet, Beef Ramen, Miso pork ramen, Chicken wings Ramen….WAIT A SEC" he said as he read some of the plates which weren't seen on his table. There's only one person in the world that could eat that much Ramen. Temari was looking worriedly at Shikamaru who was turning red. She swore she saw steam coming out of his ears.

**-A few meters away from this Fancy restaurant-**

"Naruto-kun, I don't think what you did was a good thing. When are you going to stop being a prankster?" Hinata said in a firm tone. Naruto walked. His hands were behind his head, walking as carelessly as possible, laughing.

"C'mon, Hinata. It's funny; I wish I could see his expression when he sees the bill." Naruto laughed in his own silly way **(the baby-like laughter).** Hinata frowned, crossed her arms and turned her face to the other side. Naruto walked closer, then moved to Hinata's other side, she moved her head in the other direction.

"Hinata, are you mad at me?" he innocently asked, Hinata turned to face him. "YES. I AM. I would've expected what you've done a moment ago if you were 11, but you're 16, Naruto. Get over it. Grow Up" she blurted out the words, angrily.

Naruto was shocked; Hinata never spoke to him in that tone. _'She's really upset'_ his eyes lost their brightness as he continued walking. Hinata sighed and ran to his side.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-kun, I didn't mean to upset you." Hinata said as quietly as ever. Naruto looked at her, shaking his head. "No, I'm the one who's sorry. You're right. I should grow up. I'm going to apologize to him…" he said, Hinata smiled. "…The next time I see him" he said, laughing evilly. She looked madly at Naruto and stormed off, walking with strides instead of small steps. A few seconds later, she noticed that Naruto wasn't walking behind anymore. She turned around.

"Naruto-kun?" she said. He looked like he stopped in his track while taking a step, and then kneeled, forming a certain seal. His shadow was extended to his right; she followed it, to see none other than the master of the shadow techniques, kneeling on the ground, hands in the proper seal.

"Kage mane no jutsu, succeeded" he said, smirking and getting up making Naruto get up too. Temari was standing next to him. Hinata gasped.

"Shikamaru-kun…" she started. Shikamaru looked at her, nodding with a smile.

"I know you didn't mean to do it, Hinata. You were forced to. It's between me and Naruto" he said in an angry, but sarcastic tone. Naruto gulped when he felt his body move on its own. Soon he was standing face to face with a very angry Nara.

"You owe me a lot, Uzumaki" he said, putting his hand in his back pocket, making Naruto put his hand as well. Shikamaru closed his hand and pulled it out of his pocket. In Naruto's case, pulling out his Gama wallet **(I just love his wallet. It's so kawaii).**

Naruto was silent all this time, feeling violated **(big word XP)** and humiliated in front of Hinata. Shikamaru moved his hands and fingers in a certain form, making Naruto unlock his wallet and turn it upside down. But nothing fell from it.

"What?" Shikamaru was surprised. There was nothing, and I mean NOTHING in his wallet. Naruto laughed. "I guess I left my money at home." Naruto laughed. Shikamaru was boiling with anger, releasing his technique.

"How would you go anywhere without money, Naruto?" he asked, Naruto walked closer and started to explain, whispering to Shikamaru so that Hinata wouldn't hear a thing.

"At first, I wanted to take Hinata to Ichiraku but then I thought it was lame. She's been there three hundred times since we first met. So I wanted to take her to somewhere fancy, and I realized that I was short on money so I paid for what we had which was DOUBLE what I left for you to pay. They say a friend in need is a friend indeed, right?" Naruto said, winking.

"You realize that's the most amateurish thing I've ever heard" Shikamaru said, Naruto laughed in his silly way again.

Shikamaru sighed and calmly said, "Naruto…" the latter felt relived, since he was calm, no harm will come to him,

"…You have 5 seconds to get out of my face or else I'll kill you…" he said, closing his eyes, "5…" Naruto stuttered.

"Wait, w-w-wait, w-wait a second. I was kidding; I'll pay you back…."

"…4…"

"…I-I thought that it would be a joke…" he continued, laughing nervously. Hinata was beginning to worry for Naruto. _'Naruto-kun'_ she thought as Shikamaru continued counting down.

"…3…"

"…and I think it was a bad Idea…"

"…2…"

"…C'mon, man. We're friends! You're not going to kill me, are you?"

"…1…"

"…Oh, screw it!"

And with that, Naruto fled the scene, followed quickly by a yelling Shikamaru, Temari closed her eyes, sighed heavily and shook her head.

"I'm going to KILL YOU, UZUMAKI!!!!" Shikamaru yelled, both guys leaving their dates behind.

Temari walked to Hinata's side, "I can't believe you went out with that guy!" she started, Hinata blushed, "well, he's sweet most of the time but he would turn into a prankster from time to time" both girls laughed.

"I'm Temari, I don't believe we've met before, have we?" she said, Hinata shook her head, "No, I'm Hinata, nice to meet you." She replied, both nodding respectfully. Temari crossed her arms.

"I'm bored; do you want to hang out? Since our guys clearly aren't going to be finished till tomorrow" Temari asked, Hinata nodded. "That's a great Idea. But where do you want to go?"

Temari thought for a minute. "Well, since I'm going to stay here for a while, I need some clothes. Where can you go shopping in this village?" she asked, Hinata smiled.

"There's a shop nearby. Let's go" she said, walking off. Temari smirked and followed the younger girl.

**-Hyuuga residence-**

After a while, Hanabi was tired of training. She fell on her butt, sighing heavily.

"Please, nii-chan…" she panted, "…Let's take a break" she looked at Neji who managed to exhaust her without breaking a sweat, not even one bead of sweat on his face.

"We've already taken 10 breaks in the last hour. If you want to be serious about this, GET UP" he yelled, making her eyes water. _'I have to provoke her, she has potential. She can become stronger if she wanted to'_ he thought.

"Yeah, you're going to cry now like you always do, aren't you?" he said, "…you're probably not good enough to become a Chuunin. You should quit, don't go to the exam if you know what's best for you" he said, making a few tears in Hanabi's eyes stream down her cheeks. It hurt him to see her like this. But he has to.

"…you always said you wanted to be like me, but in this state. You can never be half as good as me…" he said, turning around and walking away. A second later, he gasped. Feeling something hit him in the back, under his neck.

'_Damn it',_ it hurt him. He tried to see what hit him, but he couldn't. He reached his hand to his back. _'That's impossible'_ he thought, from the feeling of it… a Kunai knife just hit him. SHE hit him…with a knife.

"Never turn your back on me, Hyuuga Neji…" Hanabi sternly said. He turned around, "…You couldn't see my attack, could you?" she smirked; he flinched and kneeled, groaning in pain. She stopped acting tough as soon as she saw him in pain. Hanabi ran to his side.

"Nii-chan, are you alright?" she asked, putting her arm around his shoulder.

'_That's it'_ he thought, as he turned around and struck Hanabi with his Jyuuken, sending her flying a few feet away.

Neji stood up. Taking the knife out of his back, he thanked god for not letting it hit a critical point.

Hanabi stood up slowly, smiling. "You tricked me, nii-chan" she said, holding her abdomen. He smirked, "that's what you get for being a Hyuuga" he said, walking towards her and kneeled in front of her. "Are you ok? Did I hurt you?" he said, touching her belly, she shook her head "No, I'm fine. What about you?" she asked, she chuckled.

"I'm fine, but you've gotten really good. You managed to hit me in the blind spot. You're observation is getting stronger. I take back everything I said." He sincerely smiled. Hanabi smiled back then lowered her head and started sniffling.

"Hanabi-Chan? What's wrong?" he said, his hand holding her left forearm. She looked up at him. Tears forming in her eyes. Suddenly, she hugged him, crying.

"Hey, Hey, there. What is it? Is it hurting you? Did I say something that upset you?" he said in a very concerned tone, hugging Hanabi back.

She sobbed, "I-I don't want Y-You to be hurt, N-Neji-nii-chan. I'm sorry, P-please for-forgive me" Neji smiled at her reaction. "Hey, I'm not hurt. Besides, you should be strong. Good Kunoichis never cry…" he said in an attempt to comfort her. She took a step back and looked at Neji straight in the eye after wiping the tears out of her eyes.

"You're right; I'm going to get stronger. I won't cry anymore" she said, sniffling. He laughed. "That's the Hanabi I know. Now…" he said, getting up and putting his hand on her head, ruffling with her hair "…you need a shower because you stink" he said, covering his nose. Hanabi laughed.

"Not as much as you do…see ya" she said, running into the mansion. Neji chuckled, shaking his head. As soon as Hanabi was out of sight, he grabbed the collar of his shirt and sniffed it. Neji never stinks; He never did in his entire life. He smirked

"What a liar. I never smell. Though I'd love to have a shower, but I'm not in the mood" he said, walking out of the Hyuuga property.

**-Teachers' lounge in the Konoha ninja academy-**

Iruka-sensei was half stretched on the couch, on the other side of the room was Asuma-sensei, sitting on the windowsill with his right leg leaning down from it. On the far right side of the room, sitting on the desk was Kurenai, painting her nails with a red nail polish. On the other side of the desk, was Anko, leaning her legs on the desk.

"This is boring…" Anko mumbled, sighing heavily as she leaned her head back. Kurenai nodded in agreement.

"Yeah…" Asuma said, blowing a puff of smoke in the air, making Iruka-sensei cough. "You know, this is going to kill you someday. If it doesn't kill us first" he said, coughing. Asuma gave him a 'whatever' look. Iruka sighed, "It's a good thing that it's peaceful these days, but it's bad for us. This sucks" he said, getting up.

"I miss the old days, when we would constantly be called on missions. I miss the action" Anko said, taking a sip of water from a nearby cup of water, which belonged to Kurenai.

"Hey, that's mine" Kurenai said, putting away the nail polish container. Anko smirked.

"It's been there for two days, since you've started to paint those ugly nails of yours" she exaggeratedly said, finishing the cup of water in a second. Anko wasn't the very feminine type of women. At age 29, she was still acting like she was 12, a tomboy.

"You two, stop whining…you're giving me a headache" Asuma said, putting the cigarette out. Both Anko and Kurenai sighed; Asuma was always bossy when they're around. Anko always believed he was trying to Impress kurenai, _'they're always together and god knows what's going on between those two'_ Anko's thoughts were cut short by the sound of the creaking door. They all diverted their attention towards it to see Kakashi along with 29 years old Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane **(I just love those guys so much I had to get them in somehow)**

"Good morning, everyone" Kakashi greeted the Jonins, only to be replied with a couple of raised hands, a nod and a silent reply.

"Wow, you guys seem to be in a good mood" Izumo sarcastically said, walking towards the couch and threw himself on it, making Iruka jump a bit. He groaned.

"Could you sit down more appropriately, please?" Iruka said, crossing his arms. Izumo laughed.

"Could you get any whinier? Geez, man, Chill out. Don't be so uptight" he replied, sliding a bit closer to make a space for Kotetsu to sit down. Kakashi leaned on the wall, hands in his pocket.

Asuma turned his vision from outside the window to Kakashi, who was closing his eyes – more like his only visible eye.

"You seem to have some kind of news." Asuma said, standing up and crossing his arms, Kakashi sighed.

"Well, Hokage-sama ordered me to tell you that she's asking for our presence in ten minutes…." He said, looking at his watch, "…that was ten minutes ago. So let's go" he said, walking out the door. The remaining six were silent as each one of them followed Kakashi towards Tsunade's office.

**-Konohagakure Lake, in the middle of the woods**-

After going shopping with Sakura, Tenten had quickly started practicing on her summons and techniques. Now, A few hours later she was exhausted and dirty. She sat down on the ground, grabbing a small round rock nearby.

"I need a bath!" she said out loud, throwing the rock on the water. She smiled as she managed to make it bounce on the water for a long distance. She sighed and stood up.

"Hmmm, I have an idea" she said, getting up, looking around to make sure no one is watching. She slowly got out of her clothes and stepped into the water of the lake, she shivered.

"This is cold." She said. Tenten slowly reached for the ribbons holding her hair up in her two famous buns and let them loose, her long hair falling swiftly and floating on top of the water, she leaned her head back to wet her hair. She raised her hands to caress her hair and wash it, she sighed in relaxation.

"This is nice" she said, diving deep into the lake.

**Not so far away…at the beginning of the woods**

"OI, NEJI!!!" Upon hearing his name, Neji turns around to see Naruto, Panting heavily and looking exhausted. Neji smirked.

"Now, what on earth have happened to you?" Neji snickered at Naruto's funny Image. Naruto gave him a death glare, making Neji raise his eyebrows.

"Hey, you're the one who came up to me. So don't give me that look" Neji said as calmly as ever. Naruto was panting.

"Have you seen Shikamaru….or Hinata?" he said, nervously asking about Hinata. Neji's eyes gulped.

"You lost track of Hinata…Oh my god. What kind of guys are you?" Neji went crazy. Although Hinata is grown up, he still thought that she needed some kind of care. Since he was a total Jackass towards her a couple of years ago.

"…Look, what I'm concerned about is my LIFE here. Shikamaru's trying to kill me and…" Naruto didn't complete his sentences because Shikamaru was near.

"NARUTO?! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?" his voice echoed, Naruto Shivered. This was the first time Neji saw him in that state. _'Man, is he really afraid of Shikamaru?'_ Neji thought as they both continued to hear Shikamaru's echoed voice.

"Naruto!! Come Out; come out wherever you are…" Shikamaru sang but in a furious tone. Neji gulped. "Man, does he sound serious or what!?" Neji said. Naruto nodded quickly.

"C'mon, Let's get deeper into the woods, he wouldn't find us." Neji said. Naruto's eyes turned to big teary puppy dog eyes.

"Neji, I never knew you cared…" Naruto said. Neji sighed, shaking his head

"I never did…" Neji said, "…I'm doing this for Hinata"

"WHAT?! Don't you think of me as your friend? As a comrade? As a Hokage? As a Konoha villager? As a…"

"Ok, OK. I get it...Now; do you want to lose your life?" Naruto shook his head. Neji nodded.

"Then follow me." Both of them ran deeper in the woods. Neji, who was laughing inside, decided to play along in this life-or-death situation…Naruto-style.

**A few minutes later**

"Can you see him?" Naruto said, standing on the tips of his toes. Look as far as his eyes could see. "No, he's not around" Neji said, Deactivating Byakugan which he used to locate Shikamaru. Naruto turned around.

"Hey, isn't this where the lake used to be?" Naruto said. Pointing his finger to the direction he's facing. Neji snickered.

"Used to be?" he chuckled, "Naruto, Lakes don't move around. They just stay in their place" he said, imitating the situation, pointing his palms downwards. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut.

"Not from what I've seen in some places. And I'm not stupid, you know..." Naruto said, making Neji mumble something under his breath. As they continued walking, Neji accidentally stepped on a twig.

"AH, HE'S HERE!!!" Naruto yelled, jumping into a bush. Neji shook his head.

"I can't believe I actually agreed to do this" Neji said to himself. Closing his eyes and rubbing his temples.

"OI, NEJI. LOOK!! A HOT BABE IS BATHING IN THE LAKE" He whispered, very loudly. Neji gasped.

"Hey, it's inappropriate to watch others…especially a bathing woman. God, Naruto. You're worst than Jiraya" he said, crossing his arms, only to be pulled down by Naruto himself. Forcing him to look.

"C'mon, man. When do you get to see a woman like that!!?" Naruto said, his face was all red, drooling at the sight of that woman. Neji snickered.

"Oh my god, you've become the miniature copy of Jiraya, I'm leaving because there's no point of-" Neji said, only to be silenced by Naruto's hand which clamped his mouth shut.

"Shhhhhh, you're ruining the moment" Naruto said, continuing his observation. Neji turned his head to the other side. Naruto looked at him and smirked. He used his other free hand to turn Neji's head the sight.

"Stop being a good boy, my friend. It's no good. Hehehe" Naruto chuckled. Neji closed his eyes, he wasn't taught to sneak peeks on others, especially women.

"C'mon, just this once, Neji. We all know you want to. Hehehe" Naruto chuckled evilly. Neji opened his eyes, the girl was still bathing, and her back was turned to them. Her long brown hair flowing on the water and sticks to her back whenever she comes to the surface after a short dive. Neji found himself staring at the girl, not knowing what to do.

"…Awesome" Naruto mumbled and took a look at Neji who was mesmerized by the scene. _'She's angelic'_ he though. Naruto laughed making the purple-eyed look awkwardly at him.

"What?" Neji asked, innocently. Naruto smirked. "You like this, don't you?" Neji smiled, blushing. Naruto pointed at him, holding in his laughter. "Oh my god, look at you, looking like Hinata" Neji glared at Naruto but turned his attention towards the girl in the water.

He looked at the clothes that were neatly folded near the lake. He grimaced when he noticed that the clothes were familiar, _'you've got to be kidding me'_, Pink Chinese top and dark green/black pants and a pair of sandals, he looked closely to see a couple of scrolls next to the clothes. To Neji, only one person had this set of stuff.

"Oh shit." He said, a bit out loud. The girl in the lake turned around, both guys gasped and hid in the bush.

**The Lake**

Tenten turned around, _'I swear I just heard something',_ she thought and waited a few seconds to check but heard nothing. _'It's just my imagination'_ she said, moving the water with her arms and leaning backwards, letting herself sink in the cool yet warm water. She sighed heavily

**Back to our guys**

Naruto was grabbing Neji's neck, shaking him front and back.

"What are you, an idiot? You almost got us caught!" he whispered loud enough for Neji to hear. Neji slapped Naruto's arm away.

"YOU are the IDIOT here. Do you have any Idea who that is?" Neji said, pointing at the lake's direction. Naruto squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his chin as if he's thinking.

"Ummmm…" he started; Neji lowered and shook his head. "…The hottest babe in Konoha? Probably an angel… or a MERMAID" he sarcastically said. Neji sighed.

"That hot girl you're talking about is none other than TENTEN!" he whispered loudly, Naruto gasped.

"WHAT!?!?" He said. Upon hearing the name, Naruto jumped out of the bush and tripped, falling on his butt.

"Oww, that hurts" he said, Neji's eyes were wide open. Naruto looked at him, shaking his head quizzically. Naruto soon realized that he was on the lake side, the girl slowly turning around after hearing Naruto's loud thump.

"Naruto, Get in here." Neji said, waving his hand into his direction. _'Shit, I'm doomed…'_ Naruto thought, closing his eyes. _'…I have to do this. Sorry, Neji'_ he formed a seal in his hands. Neji cussed, _'what the hell is he planning to do?'_ he thought as he watched Naruto say…

"Henge no jutsu!"

**- (Henge means transformation, for those who don't know. Uh-Oh)-**

**The Lake**

Tenten slowly turned around. At the same time, swimming closer to her weapons, incase someone attacked. She turned around to see the shock of her life.

"What the hell…!" She yelled. Near the bushes, stood none other than the long-dark-haired, purple-eyed genius they called Hyuuga Neji.

"NEJI, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?" Tenten screamed, covering herself with her arms and sinking deeper into the water. Neji shook his head.

"It's not what you think…" he said. Tenten heard some ruffling through the bushes, another Neji popped out.

"HEY, what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Neji yelled. The first Neji chuckled nervously. Tenten was confused.

"Ok, both of you, whoever you are. LEAVE, NOW!!" She said, pointing in the opposite direction.

Neji **(the one who popped out of the bushes)** lowered his head in defeat.

"Tenten, I-I didn't mean to..." he started, only to be cut short by Tenten.

"I don't want to hear anything, LEAVE. Or better yet, turn around. God knows what would happen if you went back into those bushes" she yelled, the other Neji stood, laughing. Tenten glared at him,

"And you too…I'll kill you both, whoever YOU are" she stressed at the YOU, pointing at the apparently fake Neji. They both turned around, hearing the sound of the water as Tenten got out. A few seconds later, she got dressed and hung the scrolls on her belt.

"Alright, you two. Turn around." Both Neji's turned around at her request. She crossed her arms against her chest

"You two have got so much explanation to do" she said, one of the Neji was fiddling with his hands.

"Question number one: which one of you is the real Neji? And question number two: who's the other?" she asked, both Neji's looked at each other then each pointed at himself.

"I'm the real Neji" they both said together, both eye bulging and glaring at each other. Tenten sighed.

"There's only one way to find out" she said, her hand silently but quickly traveled to her kunai knives bag and grabbing a couple of them, throwing them at the two. One of the 'Neji's sensed it, made quick 360 turn and managed to hit the kunai knife away, the other got hit and, in a puff of smoke, disappeared.

"What?" Neji said, shocked. _'But how? I thought he transformed!'_ he thought. Tenten shook her head and snickered.

"So, not only you were peeking, but also your bunshin. Had enough of the peep show?" she said, tapping her foot to the ground. Neji tried to explain.

"N-no, you don't understand, I…"

"Save it, Neji!" she cut him short. He looked down; closing his eyes, then opened them as soon as he heard Tenten sob and sniffle.

"Tenten…" he said, she shook her head. Tears were already streaming down her cheeks. "…I-I'm…" he couldn't find a good explanation for what he's done, more like, what Naruto's done.

"I've always looked up to you, respected you. Even…" she said, wiping her tears away, "…even liked you, thought you were the best guy there would be in this entire world. But I realized…I-I realized that you're a big jerk who is….a total scumbag." She yelled, he was hurt to hear her call him that, _'I deserve it'_, he thought as Tenten continued.

"Just when I thought…" she sobbed, Neji was heartbroken to see her cry, "…just when I thought that you were the most respectful guy in this village, you prove me wrong…" she said, "I hate you, Neji. I hate you. And I don't want to see your disgusting face again" and with that she ran off.

"Tenten!" he yelled, but she never stopped nor looked back at him. "…Tenten" he whispered, he stood there for a couple of minutes, took a deep breath then slammed his hand against one of the trees, thankfully, it didn't fall over. Neji closed his eyes.

'_What have I done? What in the world made me do this? I just ruined my friendship with Tenten…I-I… ruined… everything…'_ he thought, still asking himself what brought him here in the first place. He opened his eyes which were burning with anger as he remembered the real reason he's here

"Naruto…" he said with a threatening tone. He knew what he had to do…

"Oh, how I'd love to kill you, Uzumaki Naruto." he said, running off to find Naruto who didn't know that now, he's wanted by two guys.

* * *

**OMG I'm sooo evil. Nyahahahahahaha **–cough, cough-

**Lots of InoGaara fluffiness is on the way, NEXT CHAPTER**

**I know I made Naruto do something bad and made Tenten get angry with Neji, so I get to be with him. Believe me; I'm jealous of Tenten because she stays next to Neji ALL the time. Poor Neji. And POOR NARUTO. I might kill him off, Teehee!!**

**I loved Shikamaru in this chapter, I was thinking of a way for him to have a funny fight with Naruto. I guess there's going to be some Humor in later episodes, if there wasn't enough in this one.** –Looks to her right to see none other than the wanted fellow-

**TLD:** -mumbling- **Speak of the devil.**

**Naruto: TLD, I hate you.**

**TLD: Thank you. -**Grinning Stupidly-

**Sasuke: **-appearing from the side of the screen-** Where the hell am I? I don't make an appearance; I want to be with Sakura.**

**Sakura: **-muffled voice-** Sasuke, I'm down here.**

**Sasuke:** -looking at a nearby well- **Sakura, wait for me, Love! **–jumps into the well, we hear a splash of water-

**TLD:** -takes off the hat **(what hat?)** and put it on her chest, lowering her head- **rest in peace, TEME!**

**Naruto: **-Jumping around, doing a victory dance, singing-** He's gone, he's down there. He's gone, we have to share!**

**TLD: Share what?**

**Naruto: I don't know, he he. Anyways...Please-**

**TLD: **-points in one direction-** Oh, look! It's Shikamaru and Neji.**

**Naruto: Oh shit, see ya** –runs off-

**TLD:** -sighs, looks at the readers, Especially (**Kirri kitty)** -** Please review!!**


	17. Chapter 16: Promotion

FLUFFINESS IS ON THE WAY…since you guys want it so much, this Chapter will contain some fluffiness.

**Kirri Kitty:** Yes, Kagome's boyfriend is one of the rookie 9. I can't believe you didn't get the hints, LOL! You'll see him a lot in this chapter; he'll have a major role. I might make him meet Kagome at some points (You're all going to kill me for my choice)

**Kilulu:** Ino, Gaara will appear in this chapter, I'm not sure about Kagome. But I think I'll make her appear in some point.

**Snickerz71:** I will add more Fluffiness. I love this word 'Fluffiness' makes me want to eat cotton candy, LOL!

I want to thank **Kilulu** and **Kirri kitty** for their Unbelievable help and support through-out this period of time. You guys ROCK!!

**Update:** thx to Skittykatz for the correction.

On to Chapter 16

* * *

**Please Remember, Chapter 16**

**Gaara's office**

He was behind his desk, just finished his paperwork. He took a deep breath and let it out, leaning back in his chair, taking a look at the newly bought flowers which were put on the right side of his desk. He smiled at the thought of, the beautiful flower girl, Ino.

Gaara rested his chin on his hand and stared at the flower, remembering Ino's words:

'_Purple flowers represent dignity, pride and success. They also represent accomplishment and admiration. That fits your preferment as Kazekage'_

He liked her compliment, making him like the name Kazekage. He liked how she knew everything about flowers without taking a second thought, _'of course she would. She works there', _He mentally scolded himself.

Luckily for him, none of his siblings were around to bother him about clothes & dates or chicks and face paints. He was alone, staring at the flowers. He sighed, getting up.

"I have to see her again…" he said, walking off. When he reached the door he stopped, looking behind him, near his desk the gourd was next to the wall. He smirked

"I guess I won't need you right now, friend" he said to the gourd. Ironically, he felt as if the gourd was pleading to Gaara for a quick trip. He laughed at his own thoughts, walking out the door.

**Yamanaka flower shop, a few minutes later**

It was almost 5pm; Ino was having a very good day. Ever since Gaara showed up, customers were lining up to buy, they profited very well. She considered this day as a very good day for business and for her, remembering Gaara. She sighed, realizing that she'd fallen head over heels for him.

'_Well, daydreaming isn't going to work for me. I have to close up'_ she said, locking the back door, Being careful to avoid the very troublesome incident that happened because of a stupid broom.

After finishing everything, she picked up her stuff **(Kunai knives holder and other stuff)** from beneath the counter and walked towards the door. She closed the curtains of the shop and took a look at the flowers, she saw that purple flower which was, Apparently, Gaara's favorite. She smiled, _'that would look nice in my room, won't it?'_ she picked up one flower, went out the door and locked it. Outside, it was quiet, _'too quiet'_ she thought.

"Hey"

"SHIT!" Ino jumped in fear. She turned around to see Gaara, with a look of amusement on his face.

"I don't believe a Kunoichi is to be afraid, you know" he said, hands behind his back, she didn't reply.

"Sorry if I scared you, I didn't mean that" he said after seeing Ino with a horror look on her face and a clenched fist on her chest. She chuckled nervously.

"Well, you scared the living soul out of me. I've been losing it, lately." she smiled, putting a stray strand of her hair behind her ear nervously. He smirked

"It's alright; we all go through these kinds of situations." He smiled, nodding. Both remained silent for a while.

'_I wonder why he's here.'_ Ino began to feel uncomfortable in this silence so she decided to break it.

"Gaara, how can I help you? I just closed the shop but I can unlock it if--"

"I wanted to see you" he cut her sentence. Ino was surprised. _'See me? ME?'_

"Oh?" was all she managed to say. The words couldn't find their way out. Here she was, standing alone with Gaara outside the shop with a few people passing by, knowing that he came to visit her, only her. Gaara looked at the object she held in her arms.

"For whom, If I may ask." He said politely. Ino didn't get it a first but then saw where he was looking, she smiled.

"Oh, those, um, those are for…me. My room is, um, a bit dull and I decided to, um, add a little life to it" she said, she felt uneasy when around him. Yet wanting to be around him. **(Mixed emotions, GAARA!!)**

"You say 'um' a lot in one sentence" he said, grinning. She smiled when she saw him grinning and blushed.

"Well, I get nervous whenever I encounter someone…" she started, chuckling. "…someone I feel nervous around" she said, realizing that she said almost the same sentence twice. He laughed; He could clearly see her blushing face.

"There's no need to be nervous, Ino" he said, chuckling. He she looked at him, smiling. _'He said my name. For the first time in my life…I feel that my name is beautiful'_, she thought, _'…did I just think about that?'_ she giggled at her thoughts. He looked at her strangely.

'_This girl is something else, someone different.'_ he thought, _'…I'd love to get to know her even better.'_ He gulped, wanting to turn his thoughts into words.

"Do you…" he started, being a little nervous. Ino listened carefully. He didn't look her straight in the eye, he was too nervous to do so, _'now I'm the one who's nervous, great Job'_ he thought, "…Would you like to…" he was going to say it, but the moment was cut by the voice of Rock Lee, making Gaara groan in frustration.

"Ino, you're not going to believe this…" he said, running towards her. He slowed down when he saw Gaara. He nodded.

"Gaara." He said, with a goofy smile on his face. Gaara smiled at his goofiness. Ino crossed her arms,

"What is it that you need to tell me and I won't believe it?" she said in a sarcastic tone. Lee was jumping in excitement.

"Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba, shino and I were called to Tsunade's office!!" Lee exclaimed, Ino grinned at his excitement, "My Youthful instinct is telling me that it's something good. We're supposed to be there at 5:30" He said, giving Ino a thumb up. Gaara was listening to the conversation, seeing that it was a bit _'interesting'_ he thought

"Wait, Chouji? I thought he went away with his father." Ino asked, Lee nodded, "It's true, but he was sent for by Tsunade-sama and he came back a couple of minutes ago" Lee explained, and Ino was cheerful. For some reason, Chouji always made her laugh for no reason, they were very close, he was like the brother she never had.

"That's awesome…" she said, "…So, why are you here? It's already 5:30" she said, Lee gasped.

"WHAT? OH MY GOD, I'M LATE!" he said, running with light speed. Both Ino and Gaara were left, laughing.

"Is it really 5:30?" Gaara asked, Ino was crying of laughter. "Nah, it's still…" she looked at the watch, "…5:02" she said, laughing. "Oh my god, did you see the look on his face? I'm starting to feel sorry for him" she said, Gaara nodded. Both laughing as hard as they can.

Their laughter turned into chuckles, it was the first time Gaara laughed that much in one day. After this fit of laughter, she looked at him in the eye, smiling, blush was still on her face from the laughter and from Gaara's presence.

"It's like you wanted him to leave" he said, almost in a whisper, smiling slyly at her, making her blush.

"So, what…what did you want to say before he interrupted?" she said, pointing at Lee's fleeing direction, smiling sincerely, he lowered his head.

Gaara's got that feeling again, the feeling he felt when he held her in the hospital, the same feeling he had when they were close this morning. He wondered what that feeling was. Her soft voice brought him back to reality.

"Gaara…are you ok?" she asked, leaning her head lower to face him. He looked up at her and smiled. "It's nothing…" he said. Ino nodded slowly. "I-I just was wondering if you…"

He didn't know if it was the right thing to ask her…he hesitated in the last second. Ino waited for the words to come out of his mouth, _'is he doing what I think he's doing? Deep breaths, Ino. Deep breaths'_

"…want me to walk you home, it's getting darker by the minute" he said, smiling. She was surprised by his kind gesture, though disappointed. She was praying for something else to be said.

She waved her hand in front of her, right and left, "No, it's ok. My house is a few blocks away…" she said, he didn't reply. Instead, he gave her one of his killer I-want-to-do-it-so-don't-try-to-persuade-me-not-to looks. She remembered the look he gave her this morning, the look which made Ino feel her guts do somersaults.

"…You've taken care of me enough…" she smiled, remembering her mother's words:

_Flashback_

_Ino has woken up from her slumber at the Hospital. Her head hurting like hell. Asuka was by Ino's side._

"_Are you ok, Sweetheart? Do you want me to get you anything?" she said, Ino shook her head. "No, mom. I'm fine…" she looks around._

"_What happened?" Ino said, rubbing her head where it hurts. Asuka chuckled. "We don't know, but we sure thank god for sending that kid over, otherwise, god knows what could've had happened" she said, holding her daughter's hand._

_Ino's eyes narrowed, her eyebrows knotting. "What kid?" she said, Asuka laughed. "Tsunade-sama told us that his name was…um, what was his name?" she said, putting a finger on her chin. "It was related to something about Suna or Sabaku…" she said, Ino smirked._

"_Gaara…" she said, barely audible, Asuka smiled. "Yup, that's him. He's a very polite gentleman. Thank god he was there." Asuka said, going on and on about what happened and how her father reacted to the situation. Ino looked out the window, wondering what made Gaara do so._

_End of Flashback_

Gaara smiled as he watched Ino drown in her own thoughts, unconsciously rocking her leg back and forth then suddenly, she looked at him and smiled.

"So? Made up your mind yet?" he said, she looked up to the sky in desperation, chuckling. He chuckled as well, "It's not like I'm asking for the impossible here…" he couldn't take it anymore and laughed as Ino lowered her head and shook it, giggling.

"Fine." She smiled, her cheeks turning visibly pink. She started walking and he followed silently, hands behind his back. She looked at the flowers, touching its petals. Gaara watched, smiling.

"What's gotten you into flowers? I mean, besides the fact that your parents own a shop." He asked, she looked at him, and then looked up to the sky.

"Well, I was first attracted by their beauty and their scent. What I mean is, No matter who you were or how cold-hearted you were, a simple flower would sooth you…" she said, took a deep breath then continued.

"…just when I turned 7 years old, I learnt that flowers had meanings, that each flower carried a certain symbol which sometimes would be the opposite of their appearance." She said, putting the same stray strand of hair behind her ear. Gaara listened carefully, both passing by some shops, restaurants and blacksmith's places.

Ino looked at Gaara with a weird look, and a hidden smile. "What's gotten you into that flower? The one you bought this morning." She asked. Gaara smiled.

"It attracted me…" he exclaimed, and then laughed. "…and I didn't even know its meaning" Ino laughed, leaning her head back then looked at the road in front of her. "But you had a good choice. You could be a natural florist…" she said, giggling. She looking at him, "though I don't picture you as one" she laughed harder. Gaara blushed and laughed along.

"You could be my floral-sensei" he said, taking a glimpse at her now pink face. She laughed, "I'm not sure I'd be a good sensei" she said, shaking her head. Gaara walked just a bit closer and said in a whisper.

"I know you'd make a great sensei" she looked at him, madly blushing. She playfully slapped his arm.

"Stop it, you're making me blush." She said. She was indeed, blushing; you can say Hinata has a competition now. He laughed.

"That's good..." he said, touching his arm where she hit him. "…you look cute when you blush"

Ino's face was red, her cheeks glowing almost as the color of the flowers in her arms. _'If I stay near him for the next five minutes, god knows what could happen…' _she thought, feeling uneasy. _'…is it me or is it hot in here?'_ she thought, using her hand as a fan to cool herself, being careful not to make Gaara sense her hand movement. But no avail, he already noticed.

"Beautiful weather isn't it?" he said, leaning forward and turning his head in her direction. She stopped waving her hand and laughed.

"Y-Yes, indeed…" she replied, deciding to start a new conversation. "…how's the weather back at Sunagakure?" she asked, Gaara snickered.

"It's windy most of the year. but it gets better in a period of time between winter and spring." He said, waving his hands in the air to signify the scene. Ino nodded, giggling at Gaara's way to embody the situation. Suddenly, she stops, making Gaara stop.

"What is it?" he asked, Ino gave him the biggest smile in the world. She pointed at the building behind her.

"That's my stop" she said, chuckling. Gaara raised his eyebrows **(then again, he doesn't have any. Lee stole them XP)**

"Oh…" he managed to say. "…well, thanks for letting me walk you home." They both laughed.

"Thank you for walking me home" she said, slyly grinning but blushing at the same time. She looked at the ground. That's when she felt his hand on her chin, making her look up at him.

"Don't do that..." he started, "…don't look down, you should always keep your head up" he said, replying with a grin. She simply smiled and nodded, making that damned stray strand of her hair fall over her right eye. She lifted her hand to put it back behind her ear only to find that Gaara already reached out for it. He put the strand behind her ear, and then rested his hand on her neck. She shivered, his touch was electric. It's that same feeling she felt this morning. Whatever magic he's playing on her, she's surely fallen for it.

Gaara removed his hand and lowered it to his side, giving Ino the sincerest smile she's ever seen. _'I never noticed how…cute he is when he smiles'_ she thought, smiling back, her eyes glittering like a blazing 'natsumiboshi' in the middle of a clear sky. **(I just got that word from one of Naruto episodes, teehee)**

"Well, I think you should go inside. You don't want your parents to worry about you any longer." He said, ushering to the door with his arm. She nodded, turning around to open the door but stopped. Gaara wondered if she's forgotten something, her keys, maybe. She turned around, smiling.

"Thanks again, Gaara" she said, he nodded. "Don't mention it." he smiled back. He was surprised when Ino leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek, her right hand resting on his shoulder. She backed away and looked at him in the eye.

"See ya…" she said, turning around to open the door. Making sure Gaara wouldn't see her with that goofy smile on her face. She walked into her house and shut the door, leaving a very surprised, very blushing and ultimately confused Gaara.

A few seconds later, he grinned, shaking his head. _'Did I just get a kiss from a girl? It's not THE kiss but it's a kiss, they call it a kiss, don't they?'_ he thought as he put his hands in his pocket, walking away with a smile from ear to ear.

**((FLUFFINESS, I love it!))**

**Hokage building**

Neji, Shikamaru, Sasuke, Naruto, Kiba and Shino were standing in the main hall of the building, waiting for the two Chuunins to arrive.

"Where the hell are they?" Shikamaru said, looking at the clock in the middle of the room. They heard footsteps to see…

"Chouji? Is that you?" Naruto said, Surprised. In the past few days, Chouji was able to drop a few kilograms off his weight, and replacing his chubby body with a medium built one. **(I liked Chouji when he was thin during his fight with the big sound guy, he looked smexy, LOL)**

"Yes, Naruto. I'm back." Chouji smiled, though he lost some weight, he still had those puffed cheeks of his. Shikamaru smiled, he remembered what Chouji said a couple of days ago:

_Flashback_

"_Where are you going, Chouji?" Ino said with a sad look in her eyes. "My dad has this shack on top of the mountain; we're spending a few months there. Meditating and practicing, you know the usual." He said smiling. "Oh, then good luck, Chouji. Don't forget to write" Ino said, Shikamaru nodded to Chouji. He smiled, "I won't, see ya" He said, waving goodbye and going out the door._

_End of flashback_

"Welcome back, Chouji. It's good to see you again" Shikamaru said, bumping his fist with Chouji's. Kiba smirked.

"One down, one to go" he said, speaking about the remaining member of the guys, Rock lee. Naruto squeezed his eyes closed, hands behind his head.

"Oi, Neji. Is he always late?" he asked, Neji glared at him. "….." was neji's reply. Naruto groaned. Sasuke stepped closer to Naruto, arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't think he was always late. Maybe your attitude rubbed on him" he smirked, Naruto's eyes turned white with anger, his fist in front of Sasuke's face. "SASUKE!!" he threatened, Sasuke turned away with a snicker, leaving the annoying Uzumaki with glares from both Neji and Shikamaru, the latter was cracking his knuckles. Naruto Gulped.

"Hey guys, I'm so sorry I'm late. Please forgive me" Lee said politely, his hand rubbing the back of his head. Neji nodded.

"Ah." he replied, turning to the others. "Should we go now?" he asked, the others nodded as a reply.

"Damn right, we're ready-ttebayo" Naruto yelled, throwing his fist in the air. Lee responded. "Naruto, I like your youthful excitement. LET'S GO!" he yelled, also throwing his fist in the air, both running towards Tsunade's office. Kiba sighed.

"They are very enthusiastic" he said, Akamaru barked in agreement. "More like retarded" Sasuke said. Neji snickered, liking Sasuke's remark. Shikamaru laughed at Neji's reaction.

"C'mon, guys. We don't want Tsunade-sama to wait any longer" Shino said, walking ahead of them. The rest followed in constancy.

**Tsunade's office**

Tsunade was sitting behind her desk, standing near the wall were Kakashi, Kurenai, Asuma and Gai. A loud knock on the door was heard.

"Come in" Tsunade says, sitting as usual. Her hands were intertwined and she rested her chin on them. Both Lee and Naruto come in first.

"Tsunade-sama." Lee says, bowing. Naruto stands with his hands behind his head and his eyes squeezed shut.

"What is it now, Tsunade no baa-Chan?" he said, only to realize that everyone is here. He blinked a couple of times and pointed in their direction.

"What...what…w-what are they doing here?" he said, a few seconds later, the rest of the guys come in. Tsunade smiled.

"I'm very pleased that you all managed to show up." She said, looking at each and every one of them straight in the eye. They all look surprised, probably wondering what the reason for this meeting is.

"I'll get straight to the point…" she said, closing her eyes. "…in the past couple of years you showed a great improvement, whether it was on ranked missions, reconnaissance missions or even giving classes at the Academy…" she said, opening her eyes, "… so, I called the Jonins for a quick meeting and they all agreed with me on the following…" she said. The guys were confused, seeing that their Senseis were smiling.

'_I wonder what's up!'_ Kiba thought. Lee was looking at Gai-sensei who was nodding and smiling at him. Tsunade got up.

"Akimichi Chouji, Nara Shikamaru, Hyuuga Neji, Rock Lee, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino…" she said with a stern look on her face. A few seconds passed with nothing said. Naruto gulped, a bead of sweat was slowly making its way from his forehead, sliding down his cheek and stopping near his chin. With that look on her face, he wondered if the news she's giving were good.

'_Just spit it out already, what is it?'_ Chouji thought. Shino, who was always calm, was getting nervous. Neji remained in his usual self-composed state, but was burning up with anxiety on the inside. Lee was obviously shaking. Both Kiba and Shikamaru were trying to predict what was going to be said. Sasuke wasn't blinking. Little Akamaru hid deep in Kiba's jacket.

"…There's no reason to be nervous, you know" Tsunade said, chuckling. They all stopped their reactions and paused. Tsunade was being calm, _'this must be a good thing. At least I hope so.'_ Shikamaru thought.

"Congratulations, you all are promoted to Jonin level" she said, smiling. A couple of seconds passed and there was no reaction in the room. Naruto was the first to comment.

"...J-Jonin?" he said, Tsunade nodded. All of the older Jonins were smiling. Naruto yelled, jumping in the air.

"YES!! I'M ONE STEP CLOSER TO BECOMING THE NEW HOKAGE" he said, jumping up and down. In usual days, Tsunade would beat the crap out of him, but this time. She laughed from her heart for the first time, letting him enjoy this moment. Asuma took a step forward.

"We all felt that you've become mature and more responsible to be promoted. So, Congratulations." he said, Shikamaru sighed in relief. "Yahoo!!" Kiba said. Neji chuckled. Shino nodded silently. Lee had tears streaming down his cheeks with a pouting mouth. Sasuke snickered, but then grinned.

Chouji…well; let's say he was celebrating in his own way.

"Hey, Chouji. How are you holding up?" Shikamaru asked, Chouji turned around, away from the others

"I'm so happy…proud, to be exact" he said, the guys stopped what they were doing and concentrated on Chouji, who was visibly shaking. Asuma walked towards him, put his hand on his shoulder.

"You were always the most sensitive one in my group, Chouji. But I'm really proud of you." he said, knowing that in that moment, tears were streaming down Chouji's face. He nodded, wiping away his tears. He turned around with his usual happy face and puffed cheeks.

Asuma turned around, nodding to Tsunade, who smiled. "I thought you guys might want to celebrate this event. So, I booked a reservation at the 'Shimabukuro' restaurant. Don't worry; I had already paid for the services. You just go and Celebrate." She said. Kiba was the first to comment.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama. This is too much" he said, rubbing the back of his head. Akamaru barked and Shino nodded in agreement. Tsunade waved her hand in front of her.

"No, it's really fine. C'mon, what are you waiting for? Go tell your friends about the news" she said, laughing.

"I'm going to tell Mother. She'll be surprised…" Kiba said. He bowed. "Thank you, Tsunade-sama" he said, in a few seconds he was out the door. They all bowed to Tsunade and started to leave on by one. Kakashi walked towards his students.

"Naruto…Sasuke" he started, both looking at their sensei. "…I'm very proud of you" he smiled, they could tell from his closed eye and his expression from under the mask.

"I knew this was coming" Naruto boldly said, laughing out loud. Kakashi sighed, Sasuke, smirked.

"After all, I won." he said, Naruto's temple vein bulged **(Anime style).** "Sasuke, what did you just say?" he said, his fist was two centimeters away from Sasuke's face. Sasuke smirked.

"My name was said before yours. So, I win" he said, slowly walking out. Naruto's face turned red.

"Teme…." He said. In a few seconds, he broke out laughing. The Jonins were surprised.

"What's the deal with him?" Kurenai whispered to Asuma. He shook his head.

"He's just jealous" Naruto said, Kakashi smiled and ruffled with Naruto's hair, making him groan.

"Kakashi-sensei, you shouldn't mess with my hair now. I'm a Jonin-ttebayo…" he proudly said, fixing his hairstyle. "…which means I'm in the same place as you. You don't ruffle with Gai-sensei's hair, do you?" he asked, Kakashi smirked at Gai who was laughing.

Kakashi shook his head. "No matter how old you grow or what rank you get, you're still my annoyingly hyper student" he said, smiling. Naruto looked at him and smiled back.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. But I have to go and tell Hinata-Chan. She'll be so glad." he said and ran out. Kakashi laughed, soon the others joined as well. Tsunade chuckled.

"You should also go celebrate with them, after all, they are your students" she said, they all nodded and walked out the door. Tsunade turned around in her chair, took in a deep breath and exhaled it, smiling deeply and closing her eyes, she didn't notice the door being opened.

"Aren't you coming with us?" she heard someone say. She turned around to see Naruto. She shook her head. "I'm very tired, I might go to bed early tonight" she said, Naruto nodded.

"Well, that's because you're a Baa-Chan. You can't stay up later than sunset" he laughed evilly. Naruto shrieked before running outside after seeing something 'flying' at his direction. Tsunade laughed and went to retrieve the book she threw at him.

**Hokage building, corridors**

"YES, the power of youth shall live on" Lee said, walking alongside Gai and Neji. Both smiling at Lee's excitement. "It was a great thing. I still can't believe it, I mean, yes, I knew that this day would come but I never knew how I would react to it" Neji said, laughing. He noticed that Lee stopped in his track.

"What's the matter, Lee?" he said, he looked where Lee was looking. Coming from the opposite direction was Gaara who stopped few feet away, looking right back at them.

"So it's true what I heard. You guys were promoted?" he asked, Lee nodded. "Yes, just a few moments ago. I guess the news spread fast." He said. Gaara smirked. "Well, congratulations" he said and continued walking. When he passed by them, Lee decided to speak up.

"Gaara…" he started. Gaara stopped walking and turned around. Lee smiled, "we're going to celebrate this promotion by having this feast which Tsunade-sama suggested, do you want to come?" he politely asked. Gaara smirked.

"Thanks, but I won't be welcomed by the others." He said, turning around. _'Won't be welcomed? Says who?'_ Lee thought.

"They say 'the more the merrier', don't they? It won't hurt if you come with us. You could bring your siblings as well" Gai said. Gaara turned back to face them, both Neji and lee were shocked. "Gai-sensei!" Lee whispered. Gai looked at him and winked.

Gaara looked at the ground as if he was thinking. "We're going to a restaurant called 'Shimabukuro'. If you want, you can come by" Gai said, walking away. A few seconds later, Neji followed him, leaving Lee with Gaara. The latter chuckled.

"You must hate me for what I did to you. I don't buy that innocent attitude of yours." He said, Lee flinched then smiled.

"I don't hold grudges against Anyone, Gaara. What's in the past is in the past. It's been five years now…" He said, "…why don't you come with us? It'll be fun! You could see that no one cares about the past, if you joined us in this joyous moment, they'd know that you've changed. They might not forget what happened, but they sure can forgive you." he said, walking towards Gaara. He stopped and extending his hand.

"Please…" he said, Gaara looked at him, surprised, then looked at his hand, "…Let's consider this handshake as reconciliation." He said, grinning. _'Is he serious? Why would he want to reconcile with me after I almost killed off his future?'_ he said, looking at Lee's grinning face. A few seconds later, he chuckled. Gaara extended his hand and shook Lee's and smiled back.

"Thank you" Gaara said, nodding. Lee smiled. "It's no problem. So, are you coming with us? It'll be awesome." He says enthusiastically. Gaara smiled, wondering how this guy changed his attitude from being serious to hyper in a matter of seconds.

"I think so…" he didn't complete his sentence when Lee held his hand and ran as fast as he could.

"Then it's settled. You're hanging out with us tonight!" he said, Gaara was surprised, barely keeping up with Lee's speed.

"Stop!" Gaara yelled. Lee suddenly stopped next to a huge door, making Gaara collide with his back, then falling back on his butt. Lee chuckled.

"What?" Lee said, chuckling. Gaara got up, rubbing his butt. "First of all: Don't laugh at me. Second of all: I have to tell my siblings, they might want to go as well" he said. Suddenly, the door was opened to reveal Kankurou and Temari.

"Go where?" Kankurou said, seemingly interested. Both Lee and Gaara were caught off guard _'when the heck did they show up?'_ Lee thought. They both laughed as they explained the whole situation to the two.

"I can't believe Shikamaru didn't tell me, I mean, I'm a few meters away from her office." she said, rather whined. Kankurou snickered.

"That's why I told you to stay away from the shadow brat" he said, munching on a biscuit he held in his hand, before taking the next bite, Temari took it out of his hand.

"He's got a name, you know" she said, defending Shika, before giving the biscuit to Gaara who simply looked at it.

Kankurou snickered then asked lee. "When are you going and who's going?" he asked, snatching the biscuit away from Gaara who looked absolutely clueless.

Lee looked at the ceiling. "Well, all of the promoted guys plus the girls of each team. So yeah, everyone you know and probably don't know" Gaara looked at Lee. _'Everyone? Could she be going?'_ he said, thinking about Ino. Gaara realized that there's not a moment that goes by without thinking about her, her beautiful baby blue eyes, her soft blonde hair, her smile…

"Is Ino going?" he bluntly asked. All three of them looked at him, surprised, he was surprised himself. Kankurou smirked "Who?" he asked. Lee smiled. _'I wonder why he's asking about her'_ he nodded.

"Well, Chouji and Shikamaru will probably tell her so yeah, she'll be going too" he said. Kankurou laughed and Temari giggled.

"What do ya know? My little bro is in love, isn't he?" he laughed out loud. Gaara tried to hide it but his cheeks couldn't lie. "No, I'm not. Stop it" he said, Kankurou went inside, saying something about 'Gaara's crush' and 'getting dressed' in between his laughter. Temari chuckled, playfully pushing Gaara's shoulder, causing him to take half a step back.

"Forget what he said, Gaara. You know he's dying to be loved." She laughed. "I HEARD THAT!" Kankurou yelled from inside the room. She shook her head.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go freshen up. If you want to come inside, you're welcome. If you want to go to that Shima-something restaurant, go ahead!" she said, going inside and slamming the door shut.

"SORRY!" she yelled, Lee chuckled. "Wow, I never knew your siblings are this nice" he said, walking away. Gaara followed, chuckling.

"They're not. You'll change your mind once you live with them" they both shared a laugh. Gaara, getting the feeling of having a friend for the first time, was overjoyed. They both started talking about different things on their way to the restaurant. Gaara looked at the sky, starts were shining brightly, the sky was very clear. He smiled.

'_What a coincidence, fate brings us together for the third time today, Ino'_ he thought, smiling as her picture popped in his head.

**Yamanaka residence**

Ino was lying down on the couch, watching TV. There was nothing interesting on, making her pray for some kind of miracle to be sent down. At the same time, wondering what Gaara was doing.

'_How the heck did you come across my mind, Gaara?'_ she thought, remembering how she kissed his cheeks earlier today, _'I can't believe I did that'_ she blushed at the thought of him. Ino closed her eyes, trying to clear her head, only to hear his voice inside her head:

"…_you look cute when you blush"_

She blushed even more when she remembered how nice he was, how soothing his voice was. She sighed heavily.

KNOCK, KNOCK!!!

Ino groaned, she wondered who would show up right now, interrupting her thoughts. Probably the miracle she prayed for. She got up to open the door, only to see that her mother beat her to the door.

"I'll get it, sweetheart." She said, opening the door. There stood a very smiling Shikamaru and a glittering Chouji.

"Shikamaru, Chouji. What are you guys doing here?" Ino said. Both of them said their hellos to Asuka **(Ino's mom)**.

Chouji turned to Ino who ran towards him and hugged him. "Chouji, It's been…what, three days? But I missed you" she said, Chouji laughed. "I missed you too, Ino-Chan" he said, pulling away from the hug. Ino grinned. Asuka smiled. "Well, Chouji. You look great." She said. He nodded, thanking her.

"So, what are you guys doing here? You both look excited and YOU…" pointing at Shikamaru, "…You look like you faced the most un-troublesome thing in your life" she told Shikamaru who was grinning like crazy.

He checked Ino out, she was fully dressed. He then turned to her mother. "Asuka-san, the Jonins and we are going to have dinner. We're pretty late so we'll tell you everything later, we need to borrow Ino for a couple of hours" he said, holding Ino's arm lightly. Asuka laughed.

"As long as you bring her home by ten, I don't mind" she giggled, Ino's eyes widened. "Mother? What if they're trying to kidnap me?" she said. Asuka waved her hand in front of her face.

"Oh, Ino, Don't be silly. It's Shikamaru and Chouji that we're talking about" she said, Ino sighed.

"See ya later, Asuka-san" Chouji said as they all went out, Ino being dragged by Shikamaru, that is. Asuka shook her head. _'I'm glad Ino's up and about again. I trust you in taking care of her, Shikamaru, Chouji.'_ She thought as she went back on doing whatever she was doing.

* * *

**Tadaaaaaaaaaaaa….Finally, I'm done with this chapter. I hope this chapter would be at least as half as good as you guys thought it would be. More InoGaara fluffiness on the way **–jumps at the sound of the word 'fluffiness'-

**Next chapter is going to ROCK! I told Kilulu that this chapter will have something about Lee. Well, this chapter was too long and I had to end it right now!!! Wait for the next Chapter.**

**Review…O-N-E-G-A-I!!!**


	18. Chapter 17: Dinner

**CHAPTER 17, BIG NUMBER:**

**As Always, Kilulu, Kirri Kitty and Snickerz71, THANK YOU for the support. Chapter 17 is up. Not much of a fluff but they do talk. Teehee.**

**Kirri Kitty: I didn't know Ino's eyes were baby blue. I'll Change them in this chapter to baby blue instead of greenish blue!!! And to be honest with you, I never knew that Team Gai wasn't a rookie 9 team, that's embarrassing!!**

**Snickerz71: WOOO, THEY ARE THE BEST!!!! I'm thinking of sending the creator of the show a poll about making InoGaara official Wow, think about it!!**

**Kilulu: well, Kagome is going to be 16-17 years old. I won't make her Older XD but she'll be back later XD, XD**

**Now, On to chapter 17**

**Enjoy!!**

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 17**

**A few meters away from Yamanaka Residence**

Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino were on their way to the restaurant to meet with the others. Ino was still being dragged by Shikamaru.

"Will you let go of my arm and explain what's going on?" she said, angrily. Shikamaru let go of her hand and apologized. She rubbed her arm where he was grasping it.

"To make a long story short, we met Tsunade-sama and few minutes ago and-"

"Yeah, I know that, AND?"

Shikamaru sighed, "Patience, woman!" he said, continuing from where Ino interrupted. "We met Tsunade-sama and few minutes ago and we got promoted to Jonin Rank" he said, plainly. Ino gasped, her hand covering her mouth.

"Oh my god! You're kidding, right?" she said with a grin. Shikamaru slid his hands into his pockets and shook his head. Chouji laughed. "Nope, it's true. All of us guys got promoted." He said. Ino hugged Chouji and Shikamaru, "That's awesome, I'm so happy for you" she said, they smiled and hugged her back, sandwiching her between the two,

"Ok, Knock it off" she said, pushing them away. Ino crossed her arms, wondering. "so where are we going now?" she said, the same strand of her hair fell in front of her face, she groaned and put it behind her ear.

"We're going to a restaurant called Shimabukuro. Tsunade-sama suggested it so I hope it's good because I'm hungry" he said, rubbing his stomach which was now half what it used to be, Ino laughed.

"Now, Now, Chouji, You should stay fit because it makes you look good." She grinned, making him smile. "You're right" he replied, Shikamaru groaned.

"Ino, don't ruin the guy. We don't want another Ino on the team, it'll be too troublesome to handle" he said, looking up and sighing heavily. Ino went into the 'Crazed-Ino' mode.

"SHIKAMARU! What in the world IS THAT supposed to MEAN!?" she yelled, making Shikamaru stumble a bit. He rubbed his ear, mumbling under his breath. "You're too loud for a girl"

Ino heard him mumble, but decided to ignore him. She sighed "how long is it going to take?" she asked, Shikamaru turned his head towards her. "It'll probably take a couple of minutes. You're not tired of walking, are you?" he asked, Ino glared at him then turned her head to the other side, making him laugh. She smiled, looking at Chouji.

"Hey, Chouji. Let me be the first to ask you. How do you feel, being a Jonin now?" she asked, poking his forearm. He chuckled and as soon as he opened his mouth to speak, Shikamaru interrupted.

"He cried his heart out as soon as we heard the news" Shikamaru laughed. Chouji yelled back, angrily. "I DID NOT! Something was in my eyes" he said, turning his head to the other side. Ino giggled and Shikamaru continued his flames.

"Yeah, there weren't any open windows. Tsunade's office is so clean that not even an atom of sand could exist in there. But I believe you, Chouji. I believe you" he said, sarcastically, putting his left hand on his chest and lowering his head dramatically.

Ino was laughing her heart out on Shikamaru's actions, deciding to defend Chouji. "Well, he might be a little sensitive. You DO know that girls would love a sensitive man" she said, winking at Shikamaru. He looked up at her with a surprised look on his face, "you're kidding!?" he said, Chouji smiled at Ino. "I know you're trying to stand up for me but we won't buy that" he said. She looked at both of them.

"I'm serious! If you ask me, I'd love a sensitive guy who would buy me roses and spend time with me under the moonlight holding each other or just holding hands" she said, her hands intertwined together and stars in her eyes. Chouji chuckled and Shikamaru laughed, draping his arm around her shoulder.

"Oh, Ino, you've been watching too many romance movies. Guys like this don't exist…for the exception of Chouji of course" he said, pointing at him. "…All I know is that I'm sure my girl doesn't want me to be sensitive, because she isn't one" he whispered.

"If only she would hear you right now. She'll kick your butt. That would be hilarious" Chouji said and Ino laughed. Knowing Temari, she'd probably kill Shikamaru for what he said.

Shikamaru took his arm off Ino's shoulder and slipped his hand back into his pockets. Chouji continued, "by the way, is she going?" he asked, Shikamaru looked at him and gave him a bored look.

"God knows. I haven't told her anything. I, well, kinda forgot." he said, rubbing the back of his head "But she knows about things even before they happen, she's like a wizard. So, 90% of my calculations predict that she'll be there", he grinned. Chouji laughed. "Then I'll make sure to tell her that you think she's insensitive annoying and a very troublesome woman. You always say they are" Chouji said, making Shika glare at him. Ino stepped between the two.

"Ok, Ok. Calm down both of you. Are we there yet?" she asked, Chouji stopped, sniffing the air. "I smell something good, FOOD!" he said, pointing at a Huge sign in front of them that says 'Shimabukuro Restaurant: where all your delicious dreams come true' **(Lame motto, I know!)**

Both Ino and Shikamaru smiled as Chouji ran towards ex-team 7 with their sensei. Naruto welcomed Chouji with a grin. As it's apparent from his hand movement, he was telling him about something that was huge and awesome... or something like that.

As they were walking closer, Ino noticed that Sasuke had his left arm around Sakura's shoulder; she held his hand with hers as they listened to Naruto and Chouji talk about some new jutsu Naruto was going to learn. _'So, it's official then.'_ Ino thought as she watched the couple laugh at Naruto's stupidity.

"…And then, Tsunade will get older than she is right now and will be unable to handle the Hokage position and I will be voted HOKAGE." He said. Sakura and Sasuke were chuckling while Kakashi sensei tried to hide his laughter, Ino and Shikamaru were smiling, noticing that Chouji's gotten his arms crossed, listening carefully and nodding his head in agreement.

"Well, it's good to have a dream, Naruto. And you're working hard to accomplish it." He said, turning towards the laughing trio, angrily, "Do you have any plans for your future? I don't think so!" he said, they stopped laughing. Shikamaru and Ino chuckled.

"Good evening everyone" Kakashi said, raising his hand. They all greeted each other. Sakura moved away from Sasuke and hugged Ino. "You look awesome!" Sakura said goofily, complimenting her on the clothes she bought for her. Ino smiled. "Thanks. You too." She said, looking at Sasuke who was busy checking out the ground.

"Sasuke…" she said, he looked up with a blank look on his face, she smiled. "Congratulations on the promotion" she said, he smiled, nodding. "Thank you" he replied, going inside the restaurant. Sakura laughed, "He hasn't gotten used to being talkative and nice to others, hehehe" she giggled, Ino laughed.

"Well, he's improving" they both broke in a fit of laughter. Kakashi sensei told everyone to get inside and white for the rest of the guys.

**Shimabukuro Restaurant**

Inside was a whole different world. It consisted of a big room and a couple of small cabins inside. The main walls were definitely painted by a great artist. The first wall had a view of an ocean on one side, on the other side the drawing continued so you could see a beach, then on the other wall were a mountain and a waterfall, on the next wall was a natural view of a greenery scene. Medium-sized Chandeliers were hanging down from the ceiling. It was breathtaking, the guys walked in with an Awe.

"Awesome!" Naruto whispered. Sakura and Sasuke walked hand in hand. Chouji, Shikamaru and Ino walked afterwards and then Kakashi-sensei followed. A young cute brunette-green-eyed waitress came by.

"Good evening, welcome to Shimabukuro restaurant, how can I help you?" she said, smiling. Kakashi replied with a smile **(a hidden one, I presume)**

"We'd like a table for 16, please?" he said. The waitress paused, "…Um, Yes. We have a table for 20, is that ok?" she said. Kakashi could clearly tell that this is her first time here, he smiled and nodded. "That's perfect, thank you" he said, she blushed. She walked in front of them, leading them to a table. It was a table at the end of the room.

"Here's your table" she said, they all chose their seats and sat down. "Thank you" Kakashi said, she nodded. The waitress walked around the table, placing a menu in front of each person and next to each plate for those who didn't arrive yet.

"Please, take you time choosing from our menu. When you're finished, I'll be right of there…" she pointed at the cashier register, "…if you need anything, just wave. I'll be here in a flash" she grinned. They all nodded. She excused herself and walked away. A few minutes later, she came back with the appetizers. Sakura looked around the room, checking each corner. Her eyes were as the size of a saucer, just like a baby seeing a lollipop in a market.

"This is beautiful, don't you think?" she said, looking at Sasuke who appeared to be in some sort of a trance. She squeezed his hand, making him look at her.

"Hm?" he, well, managed to say. She looked at him, concerned. "Are you ok? You don't look too well" she said, he shook his head then smiled at her.

"No, I'm fine" he smiled back, leaning in and claiming her lips with his in a small, innocent kiss. They broke it a couple of seconds later, "Don't worry about me, I'm ok" he whispered softly. She nodded with a smile. He backed away, "So, you were saying…" he said. Sakura continued on saying how beautiful this is and how cute that is. He was listening carefully to every word she said.

Ino was playing with a fork, poking the table with it. Then the fork was snatched out of her hand; she looked to her right to see Shikamaru.

"Hey, I don't think the table did anything to deserve being poked like that. Why don't you poke Chouji? Or maybe Naruto, I'd like to see that!" he said, glaring at Naruto. She looked at Shikamaru, then at Naruto. Then she waved her hand in front of Shikamaru's face. He didn't budge; instead, he kept glaring at the hyper, now, Jonin.

Ino decided to ask Chouji about it. Then again, Chouji came back a few minutes ago. She didn't think he knew anything about it. She leaned at the table, checking the menu until the others arrive.

**In some part in Konohagakure**

"We're lost, aren't we?" a bored, arms-crossed Gaara asked Lee who was standing on Top of a building, scanning the area. Lee chuckled and looked down at him

"Don't be silly, I live here. There's no way in the world we could be lost in my own village…um…" he said, trying to maintain his nonchalance. Gaara sighed and shook his head. Temari was tapping her foot to the ground while Kankurou was leaning on the wall, checking his fingernails. **(Don't ask me why)**

"You know, it won't kill you if you admit…we're pretty lost." Kankurou said, looking up at Lee then lowering his head and rubbing the back of his neck. He's been looking up at the guy for the last five minutes. _'I can't believe this.'_ He thought, looking up at Lee again.

Gaara looked to his right to see Neji and Gai-sensei along with a very disturbed looking young lady, she seemed mad for some reason, she had a weird hair-style, _'More like panda ears'_ he thought as they came closer.

Gai spoke first, "Ah, Gaara. I thought you were with Lee" he said, knotting his eyebrows. Gaara looked up and nodded his head towards Gai's miniature on top of the building. Gai looked up and yelled.

"LEE, what are you doing up there?" he said, Lee looked down and waved. "Gai-sensei. I was looking for the restaurant, but we couldn't find it. Maybe they changed its location." He yelled back. Gaara snickered and mumbled under his breath "…they didn't change its location, we got lost".

Neji shook his head. "Lee!" he said, Lee jumped down. "Did it ever occur in your little head to ask for direction before assuming that you got lost?" Neji said, Lee laughed. "We weren't lost…"

"Yes, we were" Kankurou said, chuckling. Lee glared at him.

"It's apparent that no one asked for your opinion" Temari nudged her brother in the stomach, causing him to make an 'uff' sound.

Neji looked at them then diverted his vision to Lee. "It's a couple of streets away. What brought you to this street in the first place?" Neji said, it was a good question, actually. That street was half lit and the air was damp. It gave Neji the chills by just standing there.

"Well…um…we decided that it was faster to go from this way and uh…" lee stuttered with the words. Gaara shook his head and took a couple of steps forward.

"We got lost" he plainly repeated, Neji nodded and turned around to Gai-sensei. "You know the way, don't you Gai-sensei?" he said. Gai nodded, "Yes, let's go" he pointed his index finger forward. Lee jumped "YES, LET'S GO" both of them taking the lead, followed by Tenten, Neji and the sand trio.

From his calculations, Neji figured that it would take them a couple of minutes, probably less than five. _'It's going to be a couple of long minutes'_ he thought as he watched the back of Tenten's body; straight back, clenched fists. She had kept her scary silent attitude ever since they picked her up.

_Flashback_ **(picking Tenten up from her place)**

_Knock, Knock._

"_I'll get it, Mom." Both Gai-sensei and Neji heard Tenten's muffled voice behind the closed door. Neji was getting nervous by the minute. He didn't think she'd forgive what he's done, more like what Naruto has done. He had tried to explain by calling her several times in the last two hours, but each time her mother would answer the phone, telling him that 'she's in the bathroom' or 'she's a bit busy' or even 'Not here'. _

_The door was unlocked, Tenten stood still, smiling to see her sensei, never taking her eyes off of his figure in order to avoid Neji. "Gai-sensei! What are you doing here? I mean, please come in." she said, taking a step back to let them in. Gai nodded, walking in, while Neji kept looking at her, in hopes to make her look at him, but she kept her eyes glued to the ground, she raised her head._

"_Mother! It's Gai-sensei…and Neji" she wasn't planning on saying HIS name, but she had to. That would sound impolite. Tenten closed the door as soon as her mother appeared from the living room._

"_Gai, it's good to see you. My, Neji-kun, you have grown quite well in the past few years. It's been, what, two years since the last time I saw you?" she said, Neji nodded, smiling. "Yes, I think that's it" he said. All this time, Tenten was looking at him, glaring at him. Neji felt her gaze upon him, he felt that she was slowly and painfully tearing him apart with her eyes. He couldn't blame her, from her point of view; it was Neji who was at the lake, who was peeping at her, who was, as she put it, a big jerk who is a total scumbag._

"_It's good to see you too" Gai said, nodding. She smiled, "How can I help you two?" she asked, ushering for them to sit down. They both sat down on the couch. Tenten decided to sit down on the arm of the couch her mother was sitting on, leaning her arm across the back of the couch._

"_Well, we don't want to bother you for a long time. We were going to a restaurant to celebrate and we thought of taking Tenten with us, if you don't mind" Gai explained. Tenten's mother raised her eyebrows._

"_Oh? A celebration for what?" she asked, Gai chuckled. "The Chuunin boys got promoted to Jonin rank this afternoon. Tsunade-sama suggested that we go celebrate." He said, grinning. Tenten's mother gasped. _

"_That's wonderful news, you were promoted too, right, Neji-kun?" she asked, he looked at her and nodded, His eyes diverting to Tenten who, for some reason, was smirking._

"_Tenten, darling, did you hear the wonderful news?" she asked, Tenten looked at her, "Yes, mother." She said, coldly. Neji narrowed his eyes. Tenten's mother turned to face her._

"_Your teammate got promoted. Aren't you going to say something?" she said, in the same tone as hers. Tenten looked at her mother, "right…" she looked, or should I say, Glared at Neji. "Congratulations for the promotion, I can't be any happier than I am right now." She said as cold as she can get then turning her gaze away. Neji remained silent. Her mother wasn't pleased with the tone her daughter was using. She turned to face Gai._

"_Gai-san, please forgive my daughter. I don't think she'll be able to go tonight." She said, Tenten turned her face away and rolled her eyes, then smirked._

"_No…" she replied. They all looked at Tenten. "…I'd love to go, if you'll let me, mother" she said, trying to be polite and maintain her self-composure. Her mother sighed, "Alright, but please don't stay out for too long" she told her daughter who nodded, understanding._

_Gai and Neji got up. So did Tenten and her mother. Tenten kissed her mother's cheek and smiled, "Don't worry, ma. I'll be fine." She said, walking towards the door. "Well, if you'll excuse me" Gai said, Tenten's mother smiled. "I'll see you later." She said as the three of them walked out the door. Tenten Taking the lead. Gai-sensei spent half the way speaking to them, but neither replied. Both were drowned in their own thought._

_**End of flashback**_

"There it is!" Lee yelled, bringing Neji back to reality. Gaara had noticed that Neji has been out of it ever since he joined them a moment ago. _'I wonder what's up with him'_ he thought. They got closer to the restaurant, coming from their left side were Asuma and Kurenai along with her team. Neji noticed Hinata, remembering that Naruto told him he left her behind.

"Oi, Hinata!" he said, walking towards her. She raised her eyebrows. "Neji-nii-chan? What is it? You seem worried" she asked. He stood in front of her, arms crossed.

"Well, I am! Naruto told me that he left you alone. Are you alright?" he asked, worriedly. Hinata laughed. "Yes, I went shopping with Temari right before going home" she said, smiling at Temari, who smiled back and gave her a loose two-finger salute.

Neji sighed, "You should've told me, you know." He said, she giggled. "I appreciate that you're worried about me. But I'm fine, Oh and Congratulations" she said, hugging him. He laughed and hugged her back.

"Thanks, Hinata" he replied, both pulling apart. Akamaru barked, making his master look at him.

"You're right, Akamaru. Let's eat, Akamaru and I are hungry" he said, walking inside the restaurant. They all laughed at his wild behavior. Akamaru suddenly stopped, turning his head towards a certain direction.

"What's the matter, Akamaru?" Kiba asked, Akamaru didn't reply. Instead, he looked at Gaara, making the rest of them look at his direction. Gaara narrowed his eyes as the dog ran up into his mentors Jacket. Lee noticed that they were looking at Gaara then at Lee, deciding to speak up; Lee took a step forward, standing in front of Gaara.

"I asked him to join us with his siblings. Since we're all grown ups now, let's deal with it as grown ups." He said firmly. They were all surprised. They all realized that the one Lee was talking about is the one who almost killed his future, almost taking his life as well.

A couple of seconds has passed and everyone stood in their place. Lee was defending Gaara who was utterly surprised. They were all waiting for a reaction from anyone.

"I believe that he's changed…" Asuma started. The rest looked at him, "…I don't see the boy I saw five years ago. Besides, he was responsible enough to lead his own village and I think it's courageous enough that he accepted Lee's invitation to join us, right, Kazekage-sama?" he said, stressing on the last few words. Gaara nodded.

"I couldn't refuse an invitation from someone who made a reconciliation handshake with me" he said. Lee looked back at him to see him smiling. He smiled back. "Yeah, we reconciled, so there's nothing to be upset or mad about" he said, waving his hands in the air. They all took a look at Gaara then smiled, Kurenai was the first to reply.

"Well, then. Let's not waste any time and let's party" she said, raising her hands in the air, being the total opposite of what a Sensei should be like. They all looked at her, especially Asuma, who was looking slyly at her. Kiba was the first to notice, he got closer to Shino as they walked inside.

"Oi, Shino. Did you notice that?" he whispered, shino turned his head slightly. "Noticed what?" he replied, Kiba shook his head and waved his hand in the air. "Forget about it!" as they continued walking.

When they walked in, they were all, also, stunned with the interior design of this place. Asuma noticed Kakashi waving at them to come over. Asuma told the waitress that he was with them. She let them all in, when it came to Kiba, she stopped him.

"Now what?" he said, she waved her index finger in his face, and then pointed at Akamaru.

"No pets allowed, Mr." she said, politely. Kiba groaned, playing with Akamaru's fur. "He's going to stay here…" he said, pointing at his jacket. "…all the time. I won't let him out, Please!" he said, pleading. His eyes turning into a true puppy dog eyes. The waitress shook her head, "I'm sorry, sir. It's the village's policy" she said.

The rest of the guys walked in, leaving Kiba to argue with the waitress. A couple of minutes later he was able to convince her, walking to the table and taking his seat. Gaara looked around, checking his surroundings. The drawing on the walls were exactly his imagination of heaven; peaceful and clear, nothing disturbing it. Lee was talking to him, telling him that the artist had a great youthful spirit to draw such a wonderful thing. Gaara was nodding all the time, concentrating on the drawings he was talking about.

He checked the wall in front of him, and then lowered his gaze at the table beneath it; the table where they were led to. A certain blonde caught his eyes, he unconsciously smiled. _'She's here, just like I hoped for'_ he said, walking towards the table, never taking his eyes off of her.

"They're finally here. So, that's where Asuma-sensei was, hanging out with Kurenai-sensei. Something's going on between those two" Shikamaru exclaimed. Ino slapped his arm, "Remember that you're talking about Kurenai and Asuma-sensei, not your friends" she said. She looked at the plate in front of her, playing with the fork. Shikamaru nudged her.

"It looks like Lee is getting along pretty well with that Suna kid, doesn't it?" he said, Ino froze, _'Suna kid? Gaara.'_ she slowly took her eyes off the table and raised her vision towards the arriving company. There he was, looking at her, smiling. For some reason, she felt her heart skip a beat, her expression changing from a shocked and dull one to a very happy one, smiling from ear to ear. Ino didn't want to say it, but she was surely happy to see him.

"It's good that you guys arrived. We thought you forgot or something" Kakashi started, bumping his fist against Asuma's and nodding to Kurenai who smiled, that's when he saw Lee, talking to a certain red head.

"You invited Gaara, I see?" Kakashi asked Gai who shook his head. "Lee did. Apparently, the two met briefly before we get here and…" he turned around to look at them, talking like old friends. "…here they are" Kakashi nodded. Gaara turned to face Kakashi who stood up. Everyone watched what was going to happen.

Gaara, deciding to start a fresh new start, smiled, extending his hand in hopes that Kakashi wouldn't embarrass him and refuse the handshake; instead, Kakashi smiles and shakes his hand.

"I'm going to quote Asuma's 'the more the merrier'" Kakashi said, laughing. Gaara chuckled and thanked him and walked towards the younger Jonins. Lee was already seated and waving to Gaara.

"Hey, HEY!! Over here, I reserved you this one" he said, patting on the chair next to him. He shook his head, smiling. Luckily for him, it was the seat right in front of the blonde beauty, right in front of Ino.

Temari and Kankurou walked to their seats next to their brother. Temari's seat was in front of Shikamaru, he got up and leaned over the table, pouting his lips to kiss her, instead, she gave him a light slap on the face. Temari then sat down with a smirk on her face.

"WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!" he whispered loudly. she crossed her arms.

"You didn't tell me you were promoted AND you left me behind. Thank God Hinata was there. She's more fun than you" she said, pointing at Hinata who was seated next to a very flirtatious Naruto, being glared at by a very angry and upset Neji.

Shikamaru felt a bit embarrassed when Kankurou started to laugh at him, only to be punched by his insanely-strong sister.

"Don't-breathe. It's between me and him, don't butt in." she threatened and panting. Shikamaru smiled, "I love it when you're angry." he slyly grinned, she blushed. Shikamaru found this as the perfect opportunity to apologize.

Ino was listening to the conversation, giggling silently as Shikamaru gave Temari an apologetic kiss, but her giggles stopped when she felt a fierce, almost intense gaze upon her. She knew it was him. She could see Gaara in the corner of her eye, looking at her. She turned her head towards him, smiling. He smiled back and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

"We meet again, Ino-san" he started, she nodded. "That's true. Three times today". The rest of the guys were having conversations. She couldn't hear him that well. Naruto, who was sitting at one end, was trying to say something to Kakashi who was sitting at the other end, _'Too loud'_ Ino thought as she leaned her elbows as well, getting in the range of hearing Gaara's low, whisper-like voice.

"Tell me more about you. I'd like to know." He quietly said, causing Ino to blush. She lowered her eyes to the plate in front of her, running her fingers across its rim.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, looking up at his eyes again. He chuckled, "Everything." He replied, looking straight in her eyes, his gaze was so intense that she had to lower her eyes again. Gaara waited for her to begin. She took a deep breath and started.

"Well, you said everything. That would take at least five hours" she said, joking. He laughed. "I've got the whole night." he said, making her giggle. He could clearly see the blush on her face. In his eyes, she looked beautiful with rose-colored cheeks. She rested her hands on her lap and leaned a little bit.

"Well, I'll start from the very beginning. I was born on September 23rd here in Konoha. I was raised, and POSSIBLY, probably and MAYBE spoiled by my parents since they got me everything I wanted, even tried hard enough to get me a little brother," she laughed, making Gaara smiled.

"they're still trying, but I was thinking about it. Mom would probably leave the baby with me so I'll end up raising him OR her. Anyways, I think that's enough about my parents. I have a great sense of fashion, love flowers, as you know." he nodded, she continued.

"My favorite food would be small tomatoes and pudding. I like star gazing and sitting under the moon light on a summer night." She said, looking up, thinking of more things to say. Ino then looked at Gaara, smiling. He looked at her, then at Shikamaru then Chouji. Then he looked back at her.

"I can't help but to notice that you and those two wear the same earrings. I know. It's a pretty bad question." he said, she laughed. "Chouji, Shikamaru and I are team-mates. We decided to wear these…" she said, touching her earring, "…when we were 9 years old. Our parents have been friends since childhood, so we practically lived together. So it's like a friendship bracelet, but it's a friendship earring" She smiled and leaned her chin on her fist.

"Now, tell me about you, Kazekage-sama" she said, smiling. He gave her a warm smile. Gaara liked it every time she used his title. He wasn't the type of guys to like being called by his title, but he liked it from her. Gaara leaned back in his chair, his left arm resting on the back of the chair, smiling.

"Wow, this feels like one of those 30-seconds dates." He chuckled, making her laugh. It was true, saying what you have to say in 30 seconds or less. Ino blushed at the word 'date'. Gaara opened his mouth to speak, but grimaced when Naruto yelled.

"KAKASHI-SENSEI!! WHERE'S THE WAITRESS?" he yelled, making a few of the guys boo, the other yell at him, In Tenten's case, slapping him hard on the back of the head. Gaara chuckled and turned his attention to Ino who was also saying something to Naruto, starting an argument.

"Some of us are trying to start a useful conversation here. So be quiet, will ya?" she said. Naruto -who was standing up now- crossed his arms, "It's always about you, Ino. You're as evil as Sakura", Sakura, who was talking to Kankurou and Temari, thought that she heard 'evil' and 'Sakura' in the same sentence. She turned to face Naruto, who –at the moment of seeing Sakura's face- knew that this person was INNER SAKURA.

"Naruto, if I knew that you were saying something bad about me, I'll kill you." Sakura said, Naruto stuttered. "W-wait, Sakura-Chan, I was just kidding. Hehehe. I was saying how beautiful and kind you are" he laughed nervously but then frowned, mumbling. Sasuke glared at him, giving him one of the 'don't-flirt-with-my-girl' looks

"Kill me…" Naruto snickered and sarcastically said, "…and you call yourself and medic-nin."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Sakura said, loudly. Sasuke calmed her down by putting his arm around her, whispering what Naruto thought was an insult to him. How would he know? Because Sakura's angry expression turned into an evil one. _'That bastard, he's turning her against me'_ Naruto thought, counting the people who hate him the most on his fingers.

"Sasuke, Sakura, Shikamaru and Neji, is someone missing?" he said, putting a finger on his chin. Hinata pulled on his sleeve, "Naruto-kun. Are you alright? You became quiet in a matter of seconds" she asked with a smile on her face, he sat down and smiled at her.

"I'm ok, Hina-chan. But I want you to promise me that you'll never hate me" he gave her the puppy eyes. She laughed, "Of course I won't, Naruto-kun. What makes you say that?" Naruto sighed, relaxed to find someone who's not on his hate list.

Ino, who was watching them, didn't realize that she was being watched by Gaara. He checked her out. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high ponytail, two strands of her hair framing her face like a godly portrait. He baby blue shirt was reflecting the color of her eyes, especially when she smiled. He moved his eyes to focus on her face as a whole which was, in his opinion, flawless. Her skin wasn't so pale or so tanned. It was just perfect. He'd loved how when she talked to others, she'd touch those strands and place them behind her ear. She was tapping her fingers to the table, watching Naruto and Hinata share a look which definitely held so many words

Ino smiled at the young couple. She was happy to see Hinata out of her shell and being open to other, especially to Naruto. She looked at the table then all of a sudden remembered that Gaara was about to say something, but interrupted by Naruto. She gasped.

"Oh my god, you were about to say something and I completely ignored. I'm so sorry." She blurted, snapping Gaara out of his thoughts about her. He hummed and then remembered. "I'm sorry, I was the one distracted" he smiled and leaned on the table.

"So, where were we?" he said, getting a smile from her. "We were starting to talk about you" she said, pointing her finger at him. He chuckled, blinking slowly.

"What's there to know about me? I was born on January 19th in Sunagakure to a Family of four, father being the fourth Kazekage. Mother died as soon as I was born. I had a troubled life. I didn't know the meaning of friendship, so I grew up alone. Being raised with two annoying brothers and a very busy father is tough…" Ino nodded slowly, narrowing her eyes. _'Grew up alone, I bet he has a very hard time during his childhood'. _She thought. Gaara, remembering his painful past, shook his head

"If I ever had children, I would never be too busy to take care of them. I won't treat them like my father did to me and my siblings" he said. Ino nodded, smiling at him, and then laughing.

"If I ever had children, I would raise them to have my likes and dislikes since they would definitely be the opposite of me" she smiled. Gaara gave her a quizzical look. She rested her elbows on the table, stretching her right hand a bit.

"I always had this feeling that my children would be like their father" she looked at him, he smiled. "I doubt that. Why wouldn't they be as intelligent, as beautiful and as talented as you are? I bet everyone knows that about you." he said, making her blush. She lowered her head, then looking at each couple on the table with a sad look on her face.

"They do give me those descriptions." she lowered her head, then looked at him with a sad smile. "I was starting to wonder if they actually apply on me." she said, lowering her head and closing her eyes. She felt her right hand being pulled and held in a gentle grasp. She looked up to see Gaara, smiling at her and caressing the back of her hand with his thumb. He got a bit closer and whispered.

"You don't have to compare yourself to others. You're great, being you and only you." He said. She remained silent, gazing into his eyes. He chuckled. "You can't be perfect, no one is. But to me, you are." he smiled and whispered.

"You're the most beautiful, attractive, sophisticated, amazing, wonderful and intelligent girl I've ever laid my eyes on." He said, chuckling. She laughed and blushed. He went on. "If I had another reason for coming all the way from Suna to here, it would probably be because of someone like you" he said. Her lips were lightly quivering, she was shaking. Being close to him was overwhelming to her.

Gaara squeezed on her hand, adding his other hand to the grip and resting it on top of hers. "When I first got into this village, I saw every single person, on this table, on my way to the Hokage building. The only one that attracted me the most was you. There was something about you that I couldn't quiet figure out. I still can't figure it out." He said, shaking his head.

Ino was in total shock, Gaara was practically praising her, flirting with her but in a decent way. She smiled and squeezed on his hand, tears forming in her eyes.

"Gaara…" she started; his eyes had a sad smile as well. "I…thank you. You don't know how much it means to me… to know…" she said, Gaara was smiling genuinely. He didn't know how the words came out, feeling that it came out of his heart. He was glad it meant something for her. Her speech was cut when the waitress showed up. Ino blinked a couple of times to make the tears go away. She slowly pulled her hand away from his, blushing beet red. Ino picked up her menu.

"God, I didn't choose something to eat." she said, chuckling. He laughed. "I didn't even take a look at it" he said, picking the menu up. Both took a look at it, noticing that the menu consisted of four pages, each page filled with a couple of main dishes, along side drinks. Gaara widened his eyes.

"Wow, so many choices." He said. Ino nodded in agreement. They all told the waitress their orders. A couple of seconds later, a loud voice was heard on the doorway of the restaurant.

"HEY, Why didn't you guys wait for me?" everyone looked at the doorway to see none other than the hyper-annoying, female version of Naruto. Mitarashi Anko.

"A-Anko!" Kakashi said. She walked to their table, standing with her hands on her hips.

"Well, first of all. Congratulations to the new Generation of Jonins. I hope you do the best you can in your mission and your lives as well. ANYWAY" she said, taking the seat next to Kakashi, grabbing one of the appetizers on the table.

"So, what did I miss?" she said, winking at Kakashi, who laughed. The waitress came back with a menu. Anko took a quick look at it and told the waitress her order.

**A couple of minutes later**

The waitress came back along with other waiters and waitresses and started putting each plate in front of their guests. Lee and Naruto clapped their hands in prayer

"Itadakimasu!" they both said, digging in their food. Gai laughed. "Ah! Their power is overwhelming. I don't recall the last time I was that energetic" he turned to face Kakashi. "I bet I could eat my whole plate before you eat yours." Kakashi rolled his eyes, _'Not again'_ he thought, picking up his chopsticks as slowly as he can, leaving Gai eating with light speed.

Kakashi reached up for his mask and lowered it, revealing for the first time his face. Anko, Kurenai, Asuma and Gai were surprised. Underneath that dark mask, Kakashi hid a very handsome face. Anko, who was seated next to him, gaped at him. He slowly put the Chopsticks in his plate and picked up the meatball and put in his mouth, chewing slowly. He did not notice his four jaw-dropped colleagues. He slowly moved his eyes from the plate in front of him to them, looking at them one by one.

He swallowed. "What?" he said, Kurenai closed her mouth and cleared her throat. "You finally took off that Mask, didn't you?" she said, he smiled, a small dimple forming on his right cheek. Anko squeaked.

"Oh, you have a dimple. Now THAT is super kawaii" she said, touching his dimple with her index finger, her cheeks turning to a light shade of red. He shook his head and continued eating; the others were eating as well, a certain blonde and redhead were secretly exchanging looks, smiling in between.

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**END OF CHAPTER 17…this was a long one...GAARA INO FLUFFINESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!**

**I love you all, Thanks for supporting and I'm sorry for being THAT late.**

**Please review and forgive my bad English!!**


	19. Chapter 18: Oops! Rock Lee's weakness

Heya, I've been watching **NARUTO: SHIPPUDEN**… I can't find episode 5, maybe because it's not out yet, maybe??

I can't wait for the next episode

Thx to EVERYONE who reviewed, I'm so glad you liked the story.

By the way, I wanted everyone to know that I, TLD, have official found someone who blush even more than Hinata. My friend is too pale that whenever she laughs, lies or gets embarrassed, her face turns into a **tomato-like** color. LOL!!!

solaristhedarktrigger: Thank you, I'm glad you thought it was good. Stay tuned!!

Kiki: I'm so glad you love this story. Yes, Kagome is the one from Inuyasha, but since I never watched Inuyasha, you might find some differences in her personality. I'll add some scenes including Kagome with all the possible characters, and then you get to choose!!! Here's the chapter for you!

Kirri Kitty: Thank you, thank you, thank you. You did not embarrass me, I was kidding. I might not have bad English, but I mess up the grammars, use some prepositions in the wrong sentence, LOL!

NOW!!

On to chapter 18

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**Please remember, Chapter 18 **

**Back to Gaara and Ino in Shimabukuro Restaurant **

They were both eating silently. Gaara was eating a bowl of rice while Ino was having a salad with extra small tomatoes and a cup of tea. She looked at Gaara who, in between each bite, had to poke his food. Shikamaru leaned closer to the table and closer to Ino.

"Hey, I don't think the food did anything to deserve being poked like that. Why don't you poke Naruto? I'd like to see that!" he said, making Ino look at Gaara who smiled and subconsciously apologized, continuing his meal. She felt that what he said was fairly familiar. She looked at him.

"Didn't you say that to me when we first arrived here?" she asked, Shikamaru chuckled, leaning back in his chair. "It was too troublesome to think of a phrase of the same meaning" he said, putting a bite of his meal in his mouth. She narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, Shika? Do you need help with that?" she said, pointing at his food. "Perhaps it's too troublesome for you to eat." She sarcastically said, making Gaara and Temari snicker. Shikamaru leaned closer to the table.

"You thought that was funny, didn't ya?" he said in a cold tone. Gaara narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the table as well.

"Watch your language"

"Or else?" Shikamaru said, making Gaara poke his food, pick up a small piece with his chopsticks and getting it closer to his mouth.

"Or else, you're prevented from meeting with my sister ever again." He said in a sarcastic tone, putting the piece in his mouth. Shikamaru, Temari and Ino laughed, Gaara soon joined in. Their laughter was cut at the sound of someone bumping their knife to a glass.

"Um...excuse me, everyone!" he said, they all turned at him. Naruto was standing up. A glass was in his hand. "I would like to give a toast, If you let me" he said, grinning. They all gave him their agreement to go ahead.

He put the cup down and moved his hand to his mouth; his other hand was on his waist. Then he rubbed the back of his head and stood straight. "Uh, I really don't know what to say…." He muttered, and looked down. To his left was Hinata who was smiling at him, squeezing on his hand a bit. Naruto nodded and looked at everyone.

"Seven years ago, when I first joined the academy I had high hopes of being the first in my class. Unfortunately, I failed the academy twice," he said, sarcastically. Chuckles and giggles were heard from his friends. "I said 'maybe third time is a charm' and it was. It wasn't just because I passed the Academy's final test. But it's because I had friends who were by my side…" he said, looking at a smiling Sakura and Sasuke who lowered his head with a smile on his face.

"When Kakashi sensei first gave us the bells exam, I thought he was a total pain. Even Sasuke wanted to finish him off," he said, Kakashi choked on his Sake and Anko patted on his back, Sasuke chuckled just like everybody else. Naruto grinned. "but after teaching us an important rule about teamwork, then we knew he was the greatest, not to mention, coolest sensei in this world." he said, nodding at Kakashi who took a deep breath and smiled at Naruto.

"And now, we've come this far. I've always dreamed of becoming a rank higher than I was, and after all that happened, I always thought that I'd be the last to be promoted," he said, pausing. "but now the girls can feel sorry for being girls because they aren't promoted yet." he laughed but stopped when he felt that glares were going right through him. He cleared his throat. "I said 'YET', you know." he said, chuckling.

Naruto took a deep breath and started what he'd planned to do. All eyes were at him, silence was over their table. They're all waiting for his words to come out.

"Ever since we got promoted today, I've been wondering whether I'll live up to the name of Jonin or not. A Jonin must be honorable respectful ninjas, who care about others and prefers others' lives to theirs'. To me, adding my own words to the definition of the words 'honorable' and 'respectful' so it would also mean 'to grow up and not be childish anymore, not to pull pranks, especially ones that would hurt even my closest friends'" he said, looking at both Neji and Shikamaru who were listening Carefully. "As you all know, my dream is to become Hokage. But, if I can't live up to the Jonin name, if I cannot gather all my courage to give in and apologize, then I should give that dream up." he said, swallowing, then continued.

"Shikamaru," he started; Shikamaru was staring at him with a serious look on his face. "I'm sorry for being a pain with you, I'll pay you back, and you have my word." he said, nodding. Shikamaru smirked with a hidden smile. Naruto turned his head towards a certain guy who was having a hard time looking back at the blonde-Jonin.

"Neji…" he started. The whole table, including Tenten, diverted their attention from Naruto to him. He slowly looked up with an aching look in his eyes. Naruto narrowed his eyes, "What has happened this afternoon, and I say it in front of all of you, was entirely my fault. I shouldn't have done that, I shouldn't have used you the way I did, causing both of you to get hurt" he said, looking at both Neji and Tenten. The latter was in total shock.

_'What does he mean by it's entirely his fault?'_ Tenten thought as she looked at Neji who knotted his eyebrows, looking up at Naruto who was smiling sadly.

"It's up to you now, If you are to forgive me, all three of you..." he said, looking at Neji, Tenten and Shikamaru. "I will be able to pursue my dream of becoming a greater Jonin and becoming Hokage" he said with a stern face. Everyone looked at Neji and Shikamaru, waiting for a response. Naruto continued. "You can make sure I keep my words, because…" he lowered his head, taking a deep breath, and then looked up.

"That's my way of a ninja" he said his usual phrase, smiling nervously. A couple of seconds had passed with no reply from both. Tenten was looking back and forth between Naruto and Neji. She shook her head in disbelief. Neji turned his head to see her looking at him with a puzzled look on her face. Byakugan wasn't necessary to see what was written in her tearful eyes. She opened her mouth to talk; both Kiba and Shino (sitting in the two seats between Neji and Tenten) leaned back in their chair to let her talk to him.

"I…" she said, barely a whisper. He gulped, not knowing whether to apologize or stay silent. She shook her head, a single tear trailed down her cheek. "I-I don't understand." She said, getting up and walking away. Neji felt his chest closing in. _'I can't take this anymore' _he said, "Tenten…" Neji said, getting up and following her, leaving the whole table puzzled.

Everyone's eyes followed the two, then turning their eyes to Naruto who lowered his head and was furiously angry. Hinata had a worried look on her face, worried on both Naruto and Neji.

"Naruto-kun" she muttered, squeezing on his hand. He squeezed back, "Hinata…" he whispered; only she was the one who heard him. "I need to be alone" he said, taking his hand out of her grasp and walked away as well. All of them watched him go out. Kiba groaned.

"This sucks! This is supposed to be a celebration, not a mourning dinner" he said. Shino looked at him blankly. He could tell that Kiba was bored out of his mind. Akamaru growled in a low tone. Kiba sighed, "Hai, Akamaru. I hope they get it all together sooner than later" he said, picking up his chopsticks and continued eating. The rest of them continued their dinner silently.

Hinata was the only one not eating; she silently activated her Byakugan and checked her surrounding. That's when she saw Tenten, pacing her steps, who was followed by Neji. She could see them walk around the restaurant then Tenten stopped, causing Neji to stop as well. Hinata knew that they're about to talk, so she deactivated Byakugan, giving them some privacy.

**The backyard of Shimabukuro **

Neji followed Tenten after they had gotten out of the restaurant. She was trying to walk as fast as she can; she wasn't going to run away. Tenten just wanted to avoid him, but she decided to ask him what was on her mind.

"Tenten, Wait!" Neji yelled, following her. A few steps later, she stopped. Neji stopped as well, her back was facing him. A few seconds passed and neither of them said a word. "T-Tenten…" he muttered. He could clearly see her shoulders shaking.

"Why?" she said, Neji narrowed his eyes and lowered his vision to the grass beneath him. She turned around, tears trailing on her cheeks. "Why didn't you explain? I-I don't…I don't U-understand" she sobbed, wiping away her tears, only to be replaced with more tears. Neji felt heavyhearted, feeling his stomach flip. He hated seeing her cry, he never saw her crying but it hurt him, the sight of her crying form.

"What happened? What did he mean by saying it's his fault?" she said, her fists clinched. Neji didn't look up, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. She was slowly loosing patience.

"ANSWER ME, DAMN IT!!!" She yelled, sobbing even harder. Neji grimaced and turned his head to the side. She stood there, lips were quivering, and her body was shaking with stress. Her mind had a question that he had its answer. Neji closed his eyes.

"It's not entirely his fault. It's all my fault." he said, she put her face in her hands and cried. He kept his eyes glued to the tree to the side.

"Then…" she said, making him look his head to her. "…tell me everything, f-from your point of view" she said, crying. He took a deep breath and exhaled it, nodding slowly.

**Back inside Shimabukuro **

Gaara was sitting still between his two argumentative older siblings who, well, started an argument just because Shikamaru told Temari how beautiful she looked tonight.

"I don't get it. Why do you butt in my business? C'mon, give me a break!" Temari said, Kankurou yelled back. "A break? You've got to be kidding me. You won't get half of it wearing that" both of them yelling at each other, yet trying to keep it as low as it could go. Gaara sighed and then looked at Ino who was containing her laughter. He shook his head and smiled. Both of them have finished their dinner, he leaned in on the table. She leaned in as well, both resting their elbows on the table.

"Are they always like that?" she asked, he nodded. "Yes, all the time" he said, both laughed out loud. Chouji leaned closer with them as well.

"Oi, are you guys talking about Neji and Tenten? Man, those two were best friends and I noticed that they didn't talk to each other from the moment they got here. I wonder what happened!" he said, then leaned back in his chair and turned to Shikamaru. Both Gaara and Ino sweat dropped. "Wow, that was the longest and fastest sentence I've ever heard." she said, Gaara laughed. "Is he always like that?" he asked, she shook her head. "No, he's probably being random" she said, making him chuckle. Ino titled her head a little, putting a smile on her face.

"I remember something about you" she started; he lowered his head a bit, still looking at her. She continued. "You're able to control sand, aren't you?" she asked, he nodded. "Yes" he simply answered. She narrowed her eyes.

"Show me" she bluntly said, Gaara smirked and lowered his palm close to the table. He narrowed his eyes. Ino looked closely at his hand, seeing atoms of sand gather beneath his palm. Both were distracted when…

"HOLY YOUTH!!" Gai yelled, getting up. His pants were wet from waist down. Anko was on the other side, hands drenched with Sake.

"How am I supposed to walk around now?" he yelled. Anko chuckled. "I'm really sorry, Gai. It was an accident, Calm down!" she said, shaking the Sake off her hands, Kakashi and Asuma complained about getting Sake in their eyes. Lee, who was seated next to Gai, was complaining as well. Anko apologized to them and turned to Gai.

"It's simple, go home and change. It won't kill you" she bluntly said. Gai glared at her and then sighed. Everyone was chuckling at the sight of Gai and Anko both drenched. Both of their cheeks heated, gaining the color of red.

"I'm going home, I'll be back in a few" Gai exclaimed, Lee looked up at him. "Yes, Boss!" he said, saluting. Gai laughed and patted his head. "You're a good boy, Lee" he said, Lee flinched at the mistake he made.

"GUY, I'm a good guy" he corrected, making the older Jonin laugh. "Now, Now, Lee, You're still a kid with youthful energy in my eyes" Gai said, walking off. A few seconds later, the sound of the plates crash was heard, Gai turned around to see his favorite student, face down in his plate.

"LEE!" he ran back. Most of the guys on the table stood, Including Gaara. "What happened?" Kiba yelled, running closer to where Lee is seated. Gai was holding Lee's shoulders, shaking him. Lee raised his head off the plate, slowly, looking up with sleepy eyes. Hinata ran to his side with a tablecloth, wiping the sauce off his face.

"Are you ok, Lee?" she asked, worriedly. He looked around, suddenly; he pushed the table a few centimeters away and got up. People looked at him, surprised.

He stood up, legs wiggling. "Why _–hic-_ are you looking at m_-hic-_e that way…when _–hic-_ what you did!" he said in a slurry tone and in between hiccups. Gai gasped, making everyone look at him. "What is it, Gai? Why is he acting like that?" Sasuke said. Gai stood a few feet away from a wobbly Lee. "He never acts like this unless he is…" he said, stopping. Lee kicked a nearby chair away, making some people leave. "Unless he's drunk" gasps were heard from the girls, Sasuke cursed. The owner, Shimabukuro-san, showed up.

"Excuse me, but what the heck is he doing?" the big-boned guy with a big mustache said. Everyone turned to look at him. Lee was among them, he took heavy steps towards the big man.

"OI!!" he started, _'Shit, he's going to screw everything up'_ Shikamaru said. Gaara, Temari and Kankurou did not understand what was going on with Lee. He continued.

"Did you," Lee pointed at the big guy, hiccupping. "say something about meeee?" he pointed his thumb towards himself, "Because if _–hic-_ you did, I'm going to kick your-" his threat was cut by Kiba whose hand clamped down on Lee's mouth. Shimabukuro-san was fumed with anger.

"Do you know who you're talking to, Kid?" he said, pointing his finger in Lee's face. In an instant, Kiba found himself flying towards the other end of the room, almost hitting Sakura who managed to duck, slamming into the wall with a big 'boom'. Temari gasped, "SHIT!" she cursed.

Shimabukuro was beginning to feel uneasy around this young guy. "Mister… Please, calm down" he said to a very angry Lee who replied to him with the same question Shimabukuro asked him. "Do you _–hic-_ know who you're messing with?" Lee threatened. People started to leave after witnessing Kiba collision with the wall.

Stealthily, Kakashi walked towards Lee, strangling him from behind. Lee managed to get out of his grip. He turned around, giving him a side-kick. Kakashi used his left arm to hold off the kick and then take a couple of steps back.

_'This is going to be bad, he's provoked!'_ Gai thought. Lee grabbed one of the long, round main dishes and threw it towards Kakashi who ducked, Leaving Ino, who was standing a few feet behind him, vulnerable and off-guard against the flying object which was now only a meter away. Ino closed her eyes, preparing herself for being hit.

Luckily for her, it didn't.

Instead, she was being held by someone. Ino opened her eyes to see a big, approximately two-meters-high shield of sand in her face. "Gaara!" she said, taking a step back. "You're ok?" he asked worriedly. She replied with a nod. The sand shield was deactivated and the sand dropped to the ground. He was still holding her shoulders when he turned his head around to see Lee flipping the table upside down and smashing it against the wall.

**Outside the walls**

Neji was in the middle of telling Tenten about the whole incident. Just when he got to the part where he had to explain himself, a big but muffled boom was heard inside the walls. They both looked at the wall, wondering what happened. Tenten ran and passed Neji who followed her, both praying that the reason of that sound wasn't who they were expecting.

Naruto was sitting on top of one of the roofs when he also heard the sound, _'It's coming from the restaurant'_ he said, jumping down and running towards it, meeting with Tenten and Neji.

"Did you guys hear that?" Naruto asked, they both nodded then stopped, Watching people running out of the restaurant, including the owner himself. "This looks bad" Tenten said. Naruto was the first to run into the restaurant, followed by Tenten and Neji.

**Inside Shimabukuro**

Naruto was surprised to see everyone trying to stop Lee for some reason, Tenten gasped. "Oh my god!" she said, seeing that the restaurant was trashed. Plates and cups were flying; bowls were crashing, chairs being broken, Kiba clinging against the wall. Ino and Gaara are in the other corner and the table is stuck against the wall.

In the middle of the whole scene, Shikamaru sat down, putting his fingers together to form a square, and closed his eyes. _'I have to come up with a plan to stop him, otherwise, this place is going down'_ he thought

Gaara was shocked at this whole scene, he might have seen this guy's full strength in the Chuunin exams, but he didn't realize that a bunch of fully experienced Jonins couldn't stop him; one single guy.

Naruto, Neji and Tenten ran closer to the scene. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu" Naruto yelled, forming a seal and sending his clones to different sides of the room, all changing their direction and jumping at Lee at the same time.

Lee expected that from Naruto. "Konoha senpuu!" he yelled, kicking the clones with his famous whirlwind kick. A puff of smoke appeared instead of each clone. Naruto cursed, "This is not looking good" he said, hands balled into a fist. Neji ran towards him, trying to hit him with Jyuuken, only to see that his attacks were easily stopped. _'I can't believe this!'_ Neji thought as he skipped back a couple of steps away from him, knowing how dangerous Lee is in that state.

"He's drunk, isn't he?" he asked. Gai nodded, keeping his distance away from Lee "Yes, but I don't think we can hold him off with what we did the last time" he replied.

Ino looked at the scene, surprised. All this time, she knew that Lee was the polite student who wanted to be great in spite of inability to use Nin-jutsu and Gen-jutsu. After seeing this, she sure would change her mind. Ino turned to her teammates.

"What are you waiting for? Do something!" she yelled, Shikamaru nodded, got up. "Ino, Sakura. I might need your help with this!" he said, Ino nodded and Sakura walked to his side. Temari and Kankurou walked to their brother's side, also discussing a plan to stop Lee.

"Here's the deal…" he started explaining his plan while the others tried to stop him. Kurenai started to create roots from beneath the floor to try and get a grip on his legs, but he was too fast. Asuma was using his trench knives to hit Lee, trying his best not to hit him on critical points, but that wasn't helpful either. Kankurou also tried to use his ability to use Chakra strings but no avail. Gaara had tried to use his sand to get a grip on him, but he quickly dodged it. Shino attacked with his bugs, but he wasn't affected. Sasuke activated his Sharingan, trying his best to stop him but he was also kicked away with Lee's incredible speed. Sasuke, Naruto and Kiba were side by side lying on the ground, all of them groaning while getting up.

"He's changed! He's faster than he used to be" Sasuke said, Naruto panted. "Yes, there's no way to stop him…" he said, getting up on his feet. Akamaru barked. Kiba nodded "You're right, the only thing we could do is wait until he sobers up." He said, making Sasuke and Naruto groan.

Shikamaru finished his plan with Ino and Sakura who looked really happy with it. "You got it" Sakura said as she ran to the other side of the room. Ino stayed by Shikamaru's side, praying for the plans' succession, Sakura formed some kind of seal, trying her best not to alert Lee.

"LEE!" he suddenly stopped after hearing her voice, usually, he didn't tell the difference between friends from foes in his state, but Sakura was a special case.

"Sakura-san?" he turned around to see Sakura who sat on the ground, injured and drowned in her own blood.

"Help…me!" she mumbled. He stood in his place, shocked to see the girl he always admired, hurt and unable to move. The others didn't understand what was going on. To them, Sakura was fine and standing on her own. To him, she was bleeding and almost dying. He ran, only to notice that he wasn't moving. "What the…" he said, Sakura smirked and released her Gen-jutsu. They all looked to see that his shadow extending towards Shikamaru who looked at Ino. She nodded and formed a seal, facing Lee.

"Shin-tenshin no Jutsu" **(Mind Body Switch Technique)** she said, feeling her mind going out of her body and towards Lee. She fell unconscious. Gaara, being closer to her, ran to her side and caught her before she fell. He kneeled, holding Ino in his arms, still concentrating on what happened with Lee.

Lee's head was now lowered. Everyone stopped and watched. Shikamaru lifted his head, still having the effect of 'Kagemane' on Lee, making him slowly lift his head up with a smirk on his face.

"It worked!" Shikamaru whispered, slowly smiling. "Don't deactivate it yet, Shika" Lee said, Shikamaru nodded. "Whatever you say," Shikamaru said, getting up. "Ino-chan" he continued, grinning. Lee sighed,

"C'mon, tie him with something. The girl needs to get her body back" Shikamaru said, making Lee **(Ino)** chuckle. Lee looked to Shikamaru's right to see Ino's body in Gaara's arms.

Ino mentally blushed, seeing that it was Gaara who stopped her from probably having a concussion. Kurenai was in the middle of summoning roots when Lee **(Ino)** suddenly shrieked.

"AAAAAAAH!!!" he yelled, gripping his head and falling on his knees. Sakura ran to his side, "What's going on!?" Sakura asked, Ino **(in Lee)** replied.

"He's…He's rejecting me…He's hurting himself, inside" Lee said, Sakura was shocked. She looked at Shikamaru who had an 'if-she-leaves-his-body-we're-doomed' kind of looks.

"We have to stop him, somehow" Gaara said, raising his hand towards Lee. "Ino, return to your body, NOW" he said, sand was flying in from the front door, along with the sand spread on the floor from the Sand shield he created earlier.

_To be continued… _

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**Suspense music **

**CLIFFHANGER!!! ****I'm evil. Not a lot of fluffiness, but I already started chapter 19 and there will be major fluffiness**

**Please review**


	20. Chapter 19: Saying sorry

School is killing me, and No new Naruto episodes are being uploaded T.T

Now to the reviews:

**Kirri Kitty:** I know! I'm evil. Nyahahahahahaha. I hope you like this chapter as well.

**Ino-chanlove:** If your friend likes Gaara and you were nicknamed after Ino, then I don't understand why your friend wouldn't want you to add this to fave. However, I'm really glad that you like this story, and thank you for reviewing. Hope this chapter would be as good as the previous ones.

I CRIED NEAR THE END OF THIS CHAPTER, A VERY SAD SCENE!!! Lots of OOC-NESS in this chapter. Ye be warned XP. FLUFFINESSSSSSSSS IS ONE THE WAY!!!!! 

**Here's Chapter 19 which you were all waiting for.**

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_Previously on Please remember_

_"AAAAAAAH!!!" he yelled, gripping his head and falling on his knees. Sakura ran to his side, "What's going on!?" Sakura asked, Ino **(in Lee)** replied. _

_"He's…He's rejecting me…He's hurting himself, inside" Lee said, Sakura was shocked. She looked at Shikamaru who had an 'if-she-leaves-his-body-we're-doomed' kind of looks. _

_"We have to stop him, somehow" Gaara said, raising his hand towards Lee. "Ino, return to your body, NOW" he said, sand was flying in from the front door, along with the sand spread on the floor from the Sand shield he created earlier. _

**Please remember, Chapter 19 **

Hearing Gaara's order, Lee **(Ino)**, managed to look up at Gaara and nodded. Sakura moved away from her, Lee **(Ino)** formed a seal.

"Release!" Lee said. Just when Ino left Lee's body, the latter was enveloped in a sand coffin, only the head was left uncovered. Once his whole body was covered, Shikamaru released his Kagemane. Ino returned to her body and opened her eyes to see Gaara with a stern look on his face, looking in Lee's direction. She got up and looked to her left to see Lee covered from neck to toe in sand.

"Any suggestions?" Gaara asked. Sasuke walked to his side. "Just make sure you don't kill him, Got that?" Sasuke said, getting a glare from Gaara himself. Lee was fumbling and flouncing inside the sand coffin, trying to release himself. Gaara's hand was tightening slowly. "I'm not hurting him" He said, "The only thing we could do is to get him out of this drunken state. Can anyone do that?" he said, waiting for a reply. Lee was getting stronger by the second.

"I'll do it!" Tenten said, walking towards Lee. "Lee, I know you can hear my voice but you're ignoring it." She said. Lee turned his head to the side, only to be slapped forcefully by Tenten.

"WAKE UP, LEE!!!" she yelled, grabbing a nearby cup full of water and splashing it in his face. Lee coughed, since the water got into his mouth, and shook his head. He was slowly regaining his composure.

"Wh-what happened?" he said, looking around, and then gasped. "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED HERE? WHO TRASHED THE PLACE? WHY AM I BEING BURIED?" He yelled, Tenten put her hands on her waist and turned around, "There you go!" she said, smiling. Gaara released the sand surrounding him, making Lee drop on the ground, face down.

"OUCH!" he yelled, Gai ran to his side. "Lee, are you ok?" he said. Lee got up; rubbing his forehead then looked around. "Yes, I'm fine but…what happened here?" Lee asked, innocently. Gai started explaining everything to him.

Sakura walked towards Naruto, Sasuke and Kiba, "Are you guys alright?" She asked. Sasuke nodded. "Yes, we're fine." Naruto said, rubbing his butt. Kiba stretched his arms, yawning.

"This was a tough night. I'm going home. Ja ne" he said and ran as fast as he could, leaving Sakura a bit confused.

As he watched Kiba run, Naruto saw Tenten get out of the restaurant as well. Naruto grimaced, _'I can't leave things like this, everything must be fixed'_ Naruto's common sense took over him and he walked out, following her.

Gaara was standing still, looking at the sand on the ground, wishing he had brought his gourd with him. _'This sand is going to waste'_ his thoughts were interrupted by a tab on his shoulder. Gaara turned around to see a smiling Ino.

"Hey" she said. He smiled. "That was great. The sand, I mean. It was a great idea" she said, hands behind her back. He nodded. "I had to do something; we would've perished if he continued with his act." He said, but stopping when she saw her blush noticeably. He smiled, poking her cheek with his index finger. She looked at him, "Well…" she started. "I wanted to thank you for catching me before I had fallen. You saved me from having another concussion" she said, looking at the ground, and moved her leg back and forth, moving the sand along with it.

Gaara smiled and leaned closer. "Well, Ino. It would be a shame if something happened to you while I'm here, wouldn't it?" he said in his low, whisper-like voice, making Ino shudder as she felt his breath on her face. He was close, dangerously close if you may tell. Ino grinned and pushed him away playfully.

"You ARE such a flirt" she said, he chuckled. Kankurou came closer and put his arm around Gaara's shoulder, Checking Ino, looking at her from toe to head.

"So…" he nodded his head towards her. "This is the one?" he asked, Gaara had an angry look in his eyes, narrowing them at his brother. Ino raised an eyebrow.

"The 'one'? What do you mean?" she asked, crossing her arms. Gaara nudged his brother. "Nothing, it's nothing." Gaara said in a nervous tone. Although it really was nothing, but he couldn't help but to feel nervous whenever his siblings talk about him with someone else. Kankurou laughed, "You're his girlfriend, aren't you?" he said. Ino gasped, her cheeks turning into a very deep color. Gaara's eyes were wide open as he turned towards his brother and pushed him far away. Turning back to Ino, Gaara smiled.

"That was nothing, he's just being stupid. My brother is lacking some common sense. We suspect that his brain isn't functioning properly." He said, making Ino laugh. "I can't believe he said that, I mean…you and me..." she said, chuckling nervously. Kankurou came back again.

"You two are the perfect couple, he talks about you ALL the time" he said, laughing, only to be pushed away by Gaara. "Get lost, Kankurou" he said. That's when Temari showed up.

"Please, forgive him, Ino. He's drunk" she said, pulling Kankurou away, Leaving both Gaara and Ino with blush on their faces.

"Perfect couple, eh?" she said, blushing. Gaara chuckled. "We could be, you know" he said, bluntly before realizing what he said. "Um, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"It's ok, I don't mind" she said, blushing. Gaara nodded then looked at the sand beneath them. The sand moved quickly outside the restaurant. Ino watched how the sand perfectly moved in one quick line. She looked back at Gaara quizzically. He shrugged.

"I just thought the place needs some cleaning. They would've had troubles moving all that sand out of here" he explained, she chuckled. "So, he said you talk about me. Do you do that much?" she asked, he was about to reply when…

"NANIIII!?" Gaara looked over Ino's shoulder. Ino turned around to see Lee, shocked about hearing the facts. Ino ushered to Gaara to go check him out. He nodded and followed her.

"You're kidding me, aren't you?" Lee, who was astonished with the fact that he was the one trashing the place, broke down.

"Oh my god, this was the opening day for this restaurant…and I ruined it." Lee said, dramatically slamming his fist to the ground. Gai put his hand on Lee's back. "Calm down, Lee. It's not your fault" he said, Sasuke walked closer. "Oh no, it's definitely his fault." He said, snickering. Sakura nudged him and everyone else gave him glares, making him shudder. Gai continued to comfort Lee. Gaara stepped in.

"A person gets drunk when they drink something alcoholic. Did you do that, Lee?" he asked, Lee looked up at him, tears strolling down his cheeks, and shook his head. Gaara nodded and lowered his head.

"Then how did that happen? How did you get drunk?" he asked, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin with his right index finger and thumb. Everyone was thinking about how Lee got drunk.

Kurenai was lost in her thoughts, when a certain event crossed her mind. Her eyes widened, "So that's how you got drunk…" she said, everyone turned to her direction. She looked up at them. Asuma was the first to speak

"Did you know how he got drunk?" he asked, crossing his arms. Kurenai nodded.

"It's when Anko accidentally dropped Sake on Gai…" she said. Everyone started remembering the event.

_Flashback _

_"HOLY YOUTH!!" Gai yelled, getting up. His pants were wet from waist down. Anko was on the other side, hands drenched with Sake._

_"How am I supposed to walk around now?" he yelled. Anko chuckled. "I'm really sorry, Gai. It was an accident, Calm down!" she said, shaking the Sake off her hands, Kakashi and Asuma complained about getting Sake in their eyes. Lee, who was seated next to Gai, was complaining as well._

_End flashback_

Neji was still wondering, "I don't get it. We understand that Anko spilled Sake on Gai, but...what does this have to do with Lee getting drunk?" he asked, crossing his arms. Sakura sighed.

"Apparently, when Anko shook her hands, some sake dropped in Lee's plate accidentally. You know that a drop of sake could turn Lee into a crazed drunken man." She said, resting her hands on her waist. Lee blushed, he felt embarrassed, especially in front of Sakura.

"Oh my god, my restaurant!" a man said. They all turned around to the door to see Shimabukuro, standing with a look of Horror on his face. Kakashi sighed, "This is going to be a very long night"

**In one of Konohagakure streets…**

Tenten was walking alone, tears strolling down her cheeks. She was holding her arms because from some reason, it was getting pretty cold. She heard footsteps on top of one of the roof; she took a kunai knife from her pocket and took her stance.

"Who _– sniff-_ is there?" she said, sniffing. A certain blonde haired guy jumped down, hands in front of him in defense.

"Whoa, easy there. I won't hurt you, Tenten!" Naruto said, waving his hand. Tenten turned around and continued walking. He followed.

"Aren't you going to ask me what happened?" he asked, she stopped and turned around. "Ask you about what? What happened this afternoon?" she started, wiping her tears away. "I don't give a damn about what happened…" she said, looking down. Naruto walked closer, whispering.

"Tenten, I'm willing to tell you everything. To tell you that it isn't his fault." He said, she sobbed. "No…he was there, I saw him..." she said, sobbing a bit more. Naruto grimaced. "Tenten, I was the one who told Neji to sneak a look. It wasn't his fault. He didn't see a thing. I'm the bastard here, not Neji. He cares about you and he wouldn't do anything to hurt you. Trust me." He said, lowering his eyes to the ground. When he looked up, he was replied with a slap. His eyes widened as his cheek slowly turned red, His head still turned to the side. She gasped and covered her mouth, holding the wrist of her right hand with her left, Looking down.

"Gomen...I-"

"Don't apologize. You have the right to do that." he said, looking at her with a sad smile on his face. "I caused you both to get hurt, and here I am, apologizing to you, Tenten" he said, turning around. "Don't hate Neji, because it isn't his fault. I know he tried to explain, but he was probably too embarrassed to apologize. He's got his own pride-thingy" He said, chuckling, then turned to face her again. She was lost in her thoughts, having her own mental battle. Should she forgive them both? Or live in pain and sorrow for the rest of her life?

Naruto sighed, "I'd really be glad if you were able to forgive me, though I know you probably won't. But," he said, "don't do that to Neji, don't hate him." He said, looking at the ground. Tenten closed her eyes and nodded.

"I understand, Naruto" she said, sniffing and sobbing. Naruto has never seen one of his friends cry because of him. He nodded, "Go home, Tenten. It's getting late" he said, jumping up and disappearing, leaving Tenten alone in what she thought was a lonely night, not knowing that on her way home, Naruto was watching over her from one of the rooftops.

_'It shouldn't be safe for her to walk alone. But I can't walk along with her as well'_ he thought as he stealthily jumped from one rooftop to another.

**Back at Shimabukuro, or what's left of it…**

Lee was in a state of shame of what he's done; most of the guys have left. The only ones here were Lee, Gai, Gaara, Shikamaru, Temari, Kankurou, Kakashi and Ino. They have agreed with Shimabukuro on how they would make it up for the wreck.

"So we have a deal, Shimabukuro-san?" Gai said. Shima-san nodded.

"Yes, but he should be here early in the morning as well. I don't want him to be late." he said in a very angered tone. Lee nodded. "Yes, Shimabukuro-san" he said, feeling taken over by shame. The guys could clearly see his feelings like an open book. Gaara shook his head.

"Poor Lee, you see, that's the problem of being allergic or sensitive to certain things." He whispered, crossing his arms. Ino chuckled.

"That's Lee for you." she said. She then had a seriously look on her face and turned to face Gaara. "Say, you're not allergic to anything, are you?" she asked with a sly look on her face. He chuckled.

"I don't think so" he said, turning his attention to Lee who was apologizing deeply to the Owner, bowing repeatedly. Gaara then turned back to Ino.

"I think it's getting pretty late. Shouldn't you go home now?" he asked. Ino looked at him then at the watch that was still hanging on the wall after all that mess. She pouted. "Yeah, I guess you're right. A girl like me shouldn't be out alone, daddy!" she sarcastically said. Gaara shook his head, laughing. She turned to the others.

"Guys, I'm sorry but I should leave now" she said, waving her hand as she walked away. Everyone waved back or said goodbyes.

**Outside, on Ino's way home…**

As she walked home, Ino suddenly felt someone's presence by her side. She turned her head to see Gaara walking silently beside her. She smiled and concentrated on the road in front of her. "What made you appear all of the sudden?" she asked, He turned his head to her. "Nothing." He said, walking silently. Ino chuckled and linked her left arm with his right, leaning her head on his forearm. He was caught off guard, surprised by what she did.

Ino kept her eyes glued to the ground; she didn't know what went through her head when she linked her arm with his. She felt her cheeks heat up.

"You were great tonight, if you weren't there…no one could've stopped Lee" Ino said, pulling away from his arm and looking at him straight in the eye. He looked back for a few seconds then smiled.

"It was nothing, really. Everyone tried their best. It was you who did all the work. You're the one that helped me get a grip on him" he said, pulling his arm away from her grip then draped it around her shoulder. She blushed as she snuggled closer to him, her arm going around his back. The two walked silently for the rest of the way, both comfortable in each others' arms until they reached the Yamanaka residence.

Ino was the one who pulled away, "Here I am." She said as she turned to face him, walking backwards. Her hand was in his. Gaara chuckled as he reached for her other hand. "So, this is it, huh?" he said, smiling. She nodded. "There would be other days, you know." she said, giggling then looked at the ground. "I hope this won't be the last time" she said.

Gaara's right hand let go of her left and reached to her chin. He slowly made her look up in his eyes, he leaned closer. Their faces were centimeters apart; her lips looked so inviting to Gaara. He put the same hand on one side of her face, and lifted the other to her other cheek, cupping her face gently.

"I told you not to look down. You should always keep your head up." He said, closing in the gap between their faces, locking his lips with hers. She gasped as she was caught off guard. She then closed her eyes and snaked her arms around his neck, letting herself melt in the kiss. Gaara moved his hands from her cheeks to her neck, and slowly lowered them to the sides of her body, resting them on her waist, never breaking the kiss. He then moved his hands to her back and pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. Ino let him have the entrance to her mouth, letting his tongue play along with hers in a synchronized rhythm. Gaara could hear her groan as he broke the kiss, both gasping for air. He leaned in and kissed her forehead, then lowered his vision to her eyes.

"This won't be the last time we meet, Ino-Chan" he said, slowly pulling away from their embrace. She seemed to be in some sort of a trance; lost in what happened. Gaara grabbed both of her hands and kissed the knuckles of each hand. He gave her one of his killer looks before walking off. Leaving a very confused yet pleased Ino. She turned around and unlocked the door, touching her lip, and smiled as she walked in.

Ino walked in and locked the door, pushing it to make sure it was locked. She took off her shoes and wore her own slippers. She took a couple of steps to see her parents sitting on a sofa; her father's arm was around her mother. Both of them were soundly asleep.

The only sound in the room was the TV commercials. Ino chuckled as she reached for the remote control and turned off the TV, grabbing a nearby blanket and covered them both. He mother stirred a bit, but both didn't wake up yet.

Ino slowly and silently went upstairs to her room, walking along the long corridor towards her room, she opened the door and walked in. Her room was scented with a beautiful floral scent. She looked at the night table next to her bed to see the flower she put here this morning, "Gaara's favorite flower" She mumbled, chuckling, and walked towards the bathroom.

A few minutes later she came out, wearing pink pajama pants and a white V-neck sleeveless shirt. She went to the dresser and combed her hair. For some reason, Ino was smiling from ear to ear. _'No wonder'_ she thought as she put the comb down and tucked herself in bed. She slept on her right side, staring at the flower. She laughed at her self.

_'Look at yourself, Ino. You're drooling over a flower in your room'_ she chuckled and closed her eyes, her fingers moved up to her lips as she remembered the kiss Gaara had given her. She sighed and slowly drifted into the world of dreams.

**Hokage building**

The clock was ticking; it was almost 10 pm. Gaara realized that in this village, 10 pm is pretty late and everyone would already be in their houses. He passed his sisters room to hear giggles and laughter of both hers and male voice, he recognized that voice. He shook his head, _'If Kankurou knew that Shikamaru was here, he'd kill him'_ he thought as he passed his brother's room. He heard crashes and some things break. Gaara knocked the door and opened it.

Gaara walked in to see his brother sitting in the middle of the room, covering his ears with two large pillows. He looked across the room to see vases, chairs and other stuff thrown and splattered across the floor. Gaara's eyebrows knotted.

"What the heck happened here?" he asked as Kankurou looked at him with a furious look on his face. He slowly got up and pointed towards the wall separating his room from Temari's.

"That little…" he started, cursing under his breath, "YOUR SISTER LOCKED THE DOOR TO PREVENT ME FROM GOING INSIDE HER ROOM!!" he blurted out loudly, making his brother grimace in annoyance. He took a deep breath and continued.

"She came back with him and they both went inside. I tried to go from her door but she looked it. I came here to come from this door," he said, pointing at the door which separated between the two rooms. "but it was locked as well. She's rubbing it in my face. Can you hear her?" he said, hearing Temari's laughter.

Gaara took a deep breath and sighed heavily; he slowly turned around and walked towards the door. Kankurou was startled.

"Aren't you going to do anything about it?" he asked, Gaara raised his hand. "I have a lot of things on my mind. We'll deal with this tomorrow. Good night" and with that, he was out the door.

Gaara continued along the corridor, leaving all the troubles and problems behind. He smiled when her picture popped in his head. He felt happy, no, happier than he ever was. If he wasn't who he was **(being Gaara, that is),** he would've been skipping his steps by now. Jumping up and down, yelling on top of his lungs. But he was the type of guys to celebrate deep inside. He might not show it, but his heart is dancing, knowing that someone is inside of it, taking a part of it.

Gaara reached his bedroom, unlocking the door and walking in. everything was still in place. His gourd was next to his desk, a few papers scattered across the desk and the flower

"That flower" he mumbled, smiling. He chuckled and walked to his bedroom, changed into black pants and shirt with orange lines. Gaara threw himself on the bed and quickly slid beneath the blanket, turning off the light with a button next to his bed. He laid on his back and breathed deeply

"Yamanaka Ino. Who could've thought…" he mumbled, smiling and closing his eyes. "…that you…" he mumbled, his eyelids feeling a bit heavy. "…would steal my heart?" he said, falling fast asleep with a smile on his face.

**On the way to Naruto's apartment…**

After following Tenten home, Naruto was going to his own place. He felt tired of today's events. He walked tall, with a big grin on his face. Coming from the left side of the street, where Sakura lived, was Sasuke. Naruto waved.

"Teme, over here!" he said, grinning. Sasuke smirked. "Naruto, we're a few feet apart, you don't have to wave and yell. Besides, stop calling me teme, Dobe!" he said. The blonde groaned.

"Sasuke, you're no fun." He said, putting his hands behind his head and walking in his usual pose. Sasuke sighed deeply, making Naruto give him 'the look'.

"Oi, Sasuke! What's your problem? You don't seem well, are you alright?" he asked, nudging his friend. Sasuke looked at Naruto and chuckled.

"It's nothing" he said, looking at the ground. Naruto lowered his head to look at him. "I bet it's something about you and Sakura, ne?" he evilly said, "You guys have been a couple for the last few days and you never told me. You guys are mean! I thought we were best of friends" he said in a childish tone, adding _–ttebayo_ to the end of each sentence, only to be slapped in the back of the head.

"OUCH! WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" he yelled, rubbing the back of his head. Sasuke sniggered. "That's for getting your nose in people's business" he said, Naruto gasped.

"SHIT, DUDE! You already slept with her?!" Naruto said. Sasuke looked at him with a disbelief look in his eyes then shook his head

"I DID NOT!!" he yelled, and then slowly regained his composure. "Even if I did, it would still none of your business." Sasuke said, pacing quickly. Naruto found himself running after his team-mate AND room-mate. **(Dun Dun dunnnnn)**

**Hyuuga residence…**

The digital clock clicked as the number turned to "11:24" in Neji's room. He was sitting on his bed, staring off into nowhere. He slowly got up and walked towards the small windowsill and sat down, staring at the sky. Neji sighed deeply, he felt lost, confused, angry and sad. He didn't want to do anything. He even didn't want to change out of his clothes.

He sighed, "What a day. This was supposed to be the best day of my life? It's not worth it." He said, taking one last look at the sky before getting up and going to his wardrobe. After all, he was tired and he needed some sleep, wondering whether sleep would pay his eyes a visit tonight or not.

In a few minutes, Neji was wearing his light blue pajamas and sat on the bed. A knock on the door startled him.

"Who is it?" he said, the door opened slightly to reveal Hiashi with a small smile on his face. "Can I come in?" Neji smiled and nodded. He got in and closed the door. Neji put his fists on his knees and sighed heavily. Hiashi chuckled.

"Now what in the world happened to you? You look troubled." he asked, crossing his arms. Neji looked up at him and shook his head.

"It's nothing, I've had a lot on my mind and I'm pretty exhausted." He said, closing his eyes. Hiashi nodded. "You're still nineteen years old. You don't have the carry the burden of life yet." He said, chuckling. Neji didn't reply.

"Well then, I just came by to congratulate you for the promotion." He said, walking away, and then opened the door but Hiashi stopped in his track.

"And son," he started, making Neji open his eyes and look up. "whatever happened, don't lose hope. You know things happen for a reason." He said, and walked out the door. Neji couldn't quiet understand what he said, _'Did he know about what happened today? How did he…'_ he said, rubbing his eyes in stress and then picked up a hair rubber-band. He tied his hair, took off the pajama shirt, threw it on a chair and lied on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

"I didn't even get the chance to explain" he said in a whisper. Neji closed his eyes and turned to sleep on his left side, hoping to get some sleep for the rest of the night.

**A few hours later, in Tenten's house…**

It was quiet at Tenten's house. After all, at 3:30 am everyone would be in deep slumber, except for Tenten. Ever since she's gotten home, she's been thinking about today's events. Neji's presence by the lake, Naruto's toast, Neji's explanations and then Naruto telling her that Neji was dragged into this whole situation. Everything almost drove her crazy.

Tenten turned her head to the side, checking the clock on the bed stand. It said _'3:31'_, she snickered. Tenten hasn't closed her eyes ever since she got there. She raised her hands and covered her eyes, sighing heavily, and pushed herself up from the bed, reaching for one of the hair ribbons she used to tie her hair, and quickly tied her hair in a low pony tail. She got up and walked towards the closet, picking up a white sleeved Chinese-like shirt and black ¾ pants. She quickly got dressed and walked downstairs, Sandals in hand.

When Tenten made sure she was clear from the danger zone **(aka, parents' room)**, she stealthily unlocked the door and walked out, wore the sandals and walked away. She needed to clear her thoughts, _'The lake? No!'_ she thought, remembering that day's events made her shudder. Instead, she walked towards the waterfall area.

**Waterfall Area**

Tenten took a few steps into the woods to reach the waterfall area, kicking a few rocks and twigs on the way. She got out of the woods area and saw the waterfall, amazed by the view. Tenten was always fascinated by waterfalls, how they keep running down nonstop, making the river beneath it flow as fast as it can go, how they make beautiful rainbows on a sunny day, making her smile sadly. She looked at the other side of the river to see someone, staring right back at her; his light-purple eyes meeting her brown ones.

"N-Neji?" she whispered, taking a step back as if she wanted to run away. He shook his head, mumbling something she couldn't hear. In one swift move, he was right in front of her, making her gasp a bit.

"Tenten" he started, looking deep into her eyes, not breaking the eye contact. "What can I do?" he simply said. Tenten's eyes were tearful already; a single tear strolled slowly down her cheek. He reached out and wiped it away, keeping his hand on her cheek. "Tenten, if I knew it was going to separate us like that, I wouldn't have done it. It's been only half a day and I realized that I can't go on a single day without you. I couldn't even sleep the night. I was thinking about you, Tenten, how…how I hurt you. I..." he whispered, hoping she'd forgive him, letting out the hardest word to say.

"I'm sorry."

She didn't know what to do. Should she slap him and run away? Or should she forgive him and get their lives back to normal? Her tears started to flow as soon as she saw a hint of tears in _his_ eyes. Neji tried to hold them back as long as he could. A few seconds passed and none of them said a word

His breaths were becoming shorter by the minute. He shook his head, narrowing his eyes, making the single damn tear he's been holding back stroll down his cheek. "Say something. I beg you." he said, resting his other hand on her shoulder, and closed his eyes, lowering his eyes. Tenten have never seen Neji in such state. She sobbed loudly when she saw that he was crying. _'Neji? Crying?'_ she thought, knowing Neji. He wasn't the type of guys to show his emotions, and now he's crying.

_'He's crying because of me'_ she thought, lowering her eyes to the ground. Tenten pushed herself into his chest, surprising him. She rested her hands on his chest and cried her heart out. All Neji could do was wrap his arms around her, engulfing her in a hug he never gave to anyone. He rested his head on her shoulder, making her snake her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. Tenten wasn't sure what she was doing. She could hear him silently sob and sniff. She moved away, cupping his face. He kept his eyes glued to the ground, his nose was slightly red and his cheeks were wet, his forehead protector was covered by strands of his hair. Not a very cool, masculine look for Neji. She chuckled.

"Look at you!" she said, chuckled through her sobs. He looked up into her eyes. "You're crying like a baby!" she said, moving closer to him, and kissed his right cheek, kissing the tears, Then kept her lips close to his cheek.

"Men don't cry." She said, pulling away, and looked in his eyes. Tenten moved the strands off his forehead protector and wiped the tears away. Her hand brushed against his lips, resting her index finger on them. She moved her finger away, tip-toed and gave him a peck on the lips which he only responded to with a deeper kiss; his arms were around her waist, pulling her closer. The kiss lasted only for a couple of seconds. She moved away, moving her finger back to his lips. Both of them didn't know what to say, they both stood silently in each other's arms. Sometimes get lost in each other's eyes or avoid the eye contact. Neji kissed her finger, making her look up in his eyes.

"Tenten…" he started. Only to be shushed by her. She shook her head. "All is forgotten, Neji. Please, forget it." She said with a smile. Her cheeks felt stiff because of the dried tears. He smiled back and nodded, engulfing her with another hug full of emotions. They both stayed in each other's arms, both glad to be able to talk to each other again, whether it was as friends or as something more.

**Uzumaki Naruto's apartment…**

Naruto was snoring loudly in his sleep. He tossed and turned before falling face down on the ground.

"Ouchie!" he said, getting up, and rubbed his face. He realized he was thirsty so he walked towards the door of his bedroom and opened it. On his way to the kitchen, he noticed that Sasuke was still up, watching TV, wrapped himself in an orange blanket. It wasn't a very familiar sight to Naruto, knowing that orange is Sasuke's least favorite color.

"Sasuke, you're still up." he said, walking towards the refrigerator, and reached for a bottle of water. He turned the cork and gulped half of the bottle in one turn, then threw the bottle back in the fridge.

Naruto walked back to his room, taking a look at Sasuke. Yes, the TV was on but he wasn't watching. He looked like he was thinking.

"Sasuke, you ok?" he asked but there was no response. Naruto narrowed his eyes and walked towards his friend, sitting down next to him.

"SASUKE!" he yelled, making the poor dark-haired jump in fear, he then regained his composure. "You didn't have to scream like that." He said. Naruto pushed him.

"I've been calling you for the past minute. What's wrong? You look totally out of it!" he said, leaning his head to the side to look at Sasuke's lowered eyes. He sighed.

"I'm in something way over my head" he started, Naruto was puzzled. "Why?" he asked. Sasuke took a deep breath and exhaled it.

"My brother," he said, looking at Naruto. "my big brother is coming to Konoha"

* * *

**I FINALLYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY Finished this god-forsaken chapter. I love it!! **

**DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN… ITACHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII HERE YOU COME!!!!! **

**I hope you like it too**. –Cries- **I am so happy for some reason, LOL!! I'm being Random… **

**Please review **

**Ja ne!!**


	21. Chapter 20: Blood related

OMG, this is awesome. It has been the greatest week in my entire boring life. More than 3879 people read the story and …life is awesome! Thank you, GOD!!

I'm really sorry for the delay, I've been having my exams and I didn't have the time to continue with the story. I've spent the whole day completing this chapter. And it's finally complete. Your great reviews help me to keep going.

Onto the reviews reply: 

**Kirri Kitty:** You have no Idea how happy I am to hear what you said **(not literally hear, but…you know)**. I'm very happy for having you as my friend, B. Love ya…thx for your support.

**Snickerz71:** Thx for your support, girl, and NO, NO ITACHI/SAKURA pairing. Itachi is a lone Uchiha, That's what I think XD, He's mine. LoL

**Nemrut:** Thanks for liking the story. I'm going to continue on with it. Make sure you stay tuned with me.

**And now, on to chapter 20!!! XX, Ni-jyu!! XDXD **

**I hope you like this one, guys. **

**ENJOY **

* * *

_Previously on Please remember: **(I love this sentence, makes me think that I'm watching soap opera)**_

_"I'm in something way over my head" he started, Naruto was puzzled. "Why?" he asked. Sasuke took a deep breath and exhaled it._

_"My brother," he said, looking at Naruto. "my big brother is coming to Konoha"_

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 20**

Sasuke was being nervous. Naruto has never seen Sasuke in that state before. He never even knew Sasuke had a brother OR could be nervous.

"You never told me you had a brother!" Naruto asked, puzzled. Sasuke shook his head. "No one knew. I've never told anyone. He's coming in less than a week" he said as he reached for his pocket, and got out a neatly folded paper. Sasuke handed it to Naruto, who took it from him. He looked at Sasuke who ushered him to open it. He opened it and read its content:

_Sasuke: _

_How are you, little brother? It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost 5 years now. I'm sending this letter to tell you that I'm paying you a visit in less than two weeks. See ya then… _

_Itachi_

Naruto snickered. "Wow, you have a straight-forwarded bro in here." He said, laughing. He stopped when he noticed Sasuke wasn't smiling but instead glaring at him. Naruto folded the paper neatly and put it on the coffee table next to the couch.

"So what if your brother is coming to visit? I'd love it if I had a brother to visit me." Naruto said, making Sasuke groan. Naruto chuckled, shaking his head when Sasuke lied down and covered his head with the orange blanket.

"Are you afraid he's going to start picking on you for having a girlfriend?" he said, poking the blanket. Sasuke's muffled voice replied.

"Naruto, first of all, STOP POKING MY BUTT!!" he said, getting up. He rolled the blanket in a ball and threw it across the room. Naruto grimaced when a few things crashed.

Sasuke sweat dropped. "Sorry." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, since you stopped poking my butt, I'll tell you why I don't want my brother to visit." he took a deep breath, closing his eyes. Naruto waited for five whole minutes, Sasuke hadn't moved. Naruto had started to think that Sasuke was asleep, so he poked his shoulder.

"Sasuke?" he said, still poking him. The dark-haired guy unconsciously lied back, snoring. Naruto smirked, crossing his arms.

"I truly hate you, Sasuke!" he said, shaking his head and getting up, walking back to his bedroom.

**A few hours later **

RRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!! 

The alarm went off, ringing the living soul out of Lee who jumped out of his bed and into the bathroom.

"Can't be late! Can't be late! Can't be late! Can't be late! Can't be late! Can't be late!" he repeated over and over again. The previous night, he's settled an agreement with Shimabukuro that he would help to fix the restaurant and get it back, as Shimabukuro put it, b_etter than it ever was"._

In less than a minute, he was dressed in his green jump, along with the tactical Jonin vest and legs weights. He quickly wrapped his arms with the bandages to hide his bruises from daily practices and ran outside, but not before giving himself a thumb up and a smile to the mirror.

**Shimabukuro restaurant, or what's left of it…**

Lee walked as fast as he could, getting himself ready for the work. He reached the restaurant which wasn't looking bad from the outside, except for a hint of a crack going diagonally from the top of the building. He stopped and took a good look at the building; he rested his fists on his waist and sighed.

"This is going to be a long day" he said, walking inside.

**Inside Shimabukuro restaurant…**

Workers were coming in and out of the restaurant, carrying different kinds of things: tables, chairs, counters, you name it. Lee was astonished by the size of damage he made. Shimabukuro noticed him and walked towards Lee.

"Hey, kid!" he yelled, walking with heavy stomps, making Lee gulp. The big man crossed his arms, "Are you ready to work?!" he yelled. Lee sighed and nodded slowly. Shima-san nodded and pointed out the door.

"Go bring me a tree log. We need to build chairs all over again!" he said, Lee was puzzled. "Don't you guys buy chairs?" he said, hands behind his back. Shima sighed.

"No, I make them. That's what makes this restaurant special!" he went on and on and on about how this building is special and how his father's last wish was to see his son make the biggest achievement in his life. These things used to attract Lee, but now, he just needed to get it over with and go home.

"HEY KID, Are you listening to me?" Shima yelled, making Lee snap out of his thoughts. He faked a smile. "Yes, sir. I'm hanging on every single word" he said politely. Shima nodded and pointed out the door. "What did I tell you?" he said. His big belly and thick mustache were moving along with him. Lee backed away with a fake smile.

"Yes, sir!" he said, running off outside the building.

**In a few minutes…**

Lee came back from the forest, holding a very long and huge Log on his right shoulder. He had no problem at all. The only problem he faced was the fact that people were looking at him strangely. Some of them were amazed, others were shocked, some people even ducked to avoid being hit by it.

_'If someone's injured by that, I'm going to be in a deep trouble'_ he thought, going around the corner. It wasn't long till he felt a slight bump at the end of the log. He tilted his head to see scattered oranges and Apples on the ground. He gasped and put the log down.

"I guess I hit someone!" he mumbled, running to the person's side. She was rubbing the top of her head. He kneeled besides her.

"Hey, a-are you ok? I'm really sorry, I haven't seen you." he said, she looked up, smiling and a blush was on her face.

"No, it's alright. It's my fault that I wasn't looking where I was going" she said, chuckling. Lee sighed in relief, raising his hand to put it on her head. "Are you sure it's ok? It looks slightly bumped." He said, feeling the bruised area on her head. She looked at his hand and blushed, flinching a bit.

"I-It's fine. Ironically, I'm a medic-nin. I think I can heal myself" the brunette said, smiling. Lee nodded and started collecting her belongings, making her sigh.

"Sir, please, you really don't have to do that." she said, making him stop and look at her. She smiled and collected the rest of the apples, put them in a bag and got up. Not long before getting up, she felt dizzy and collapsed, fortunately, in Lee's arms.

"Whoa, I'm sorry" she said, getting up on her own feet with Lee still holding her arms. "I should take you to the hospital." He said, being as polite as ever. She shook her head.

"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." she said, standing up straight. Looking at him with a smile, she stretched her hand.

"I'm Ishikawa Kagome, though it's not a very pleasant situation to meet someone," she said, touching her head with her left hand, "but it's nice to meet you." she said, smiling. Lee nodded and stretched his hand to shake hers.

"It's nice to meet you as well. Rock Lee's the name." he said, smiling back. She chuckled, making him give her a quizzical look. She shook her head. "Your name. I'm sure it applies to your personality" she said, smiling. He nodded. "It sometimes does fit, but I'm not the type to- WHOA" he couldn't continue with the sentence because the girl collapsed again in his arms. People were watching, most of them quickly gathered around the two, not giving Kagome a chance to breath. He picked her up and tried to get out of the crowd but no avail. He took a deep breath and stood still.

"BACK OFF!! THE GIRL NEEDS TO BREATHE!" he yelled. The crowd went silent as they cleared the way for him to rush the girl to the hospital.

**Uzumaki-Uchiha residence…**

A very loud knock woke Sasuke out of his slumber. He sat up and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He saw a yellow-orange-blue figure walking towards the door. He checked the clock on top of the TV. It said '7:25 a.m.'. He groaned and looked back at the walking figure.

"Did you invite someone at this time of the day?" his hoarse voice said. Naruto stopped in his tracks, looked at Sasuke and raised his index finger in threatening.

"If this is Sakura, I'll kill you both!" he said, before turning towards the door, towards the noisy pests behind it. He jerked the door opened to reveal a very surprised Sakura, with a raised fist, and a laughing Ino. Naruto tilted his head to the side and mumbled something under his breath before turning his face towards the girls again.

"Do you know what time it is?" he asked, almost closing the door in their face. Sakura managed to hold the door in time, smirking.

"It's time for you guys to wake up" she said, pushing the door open and walking in. Ino waved her hand in Naruto's face. He groaned in despair. Ever since Ino and Sakura became friends again, he noticed they became more troublesome than they did when they were separate. They say 'the more the merrier' but to Naruto, every rule has an exception, and this was one of them.

Sakura jumped onto Sasuke's lap and Ino just stood there, looking disgusted before looking away from the quickly lip-locked couple. Naruto studied the two girls; Sakura wore a checked blue and yellow dress with Yellow sandals while Ino wore a lacy orange tank top with green baggy pants and white shoes. He looked at Sakura and Sasuke who were still kissing. He shook his head and shuddered.

"Ok, Ok that is ENOUGH!! You've just woken up, man." he said, making the couple break it, both sitting a couple of centimeters away from each other. Naruto crossed his arms and looked slyly at Sasuke.

"Is that the same guy I saw last night? The one who was bitching about their broth-OMPH!" Naruto was cut short by Sasuke jumping on him. Sakura sat up and looked at the fallen two. Ino started laughing.

"If only I had a camera" she said, laughing and pointing at the two, but then realized what Naruto was about to say. Sakura also noticed.

"Sasuke…Brother?" Sakura said, looking surprisingly at Sasuke who nodded, getting off of Naruto, and put his hands in his pockets.

"Yeah" he started, walking towards his room "My older brother" he said before slamming the door shut. **(A/N: That's Sasuke for you)**

Sakura sighed heavily, making the other two look at her direction. "What?" Ino said, resting her hands on her waist. "That's why he looked a bit distracted in the restaurant last night" she said, silently. She sighed and got up, the look on her face changed into an angered one. She walked towards Naruto and grabbed his shirt. Our favorite blonde ninja was startled by her monstrous strength. _'Tsunade-no-baa-Chan seriously had an effect on poor vulnerable Sakura, though it's a good thing against enemies, but it's not good against us'_, he thought, desperately.

"What do you know about this?" she said, shaking him back and forth. Ino was just standing there. Knowing Sakura, she'd probably kill her if she tried to save Naruto out of her grip. Ino saw it was best for her to stay away.

Naruto managed to get his shirt out of her grip safely and took a few steps back. "Whoa, Sakura! I don't know a thing. Why don't you ask your psychotic boyfriend over there?" he said, pointing to Sasuke's room. "I asked him why he'd be upset if his brother is visiting and he replied with a snore." He said, crossing his arms. Sakura shook her head.

"You mean a smirk?" she said, chuckling. Naruto looked at her quizzically, making her continued. "He replied with a smirk, you mean?" she said, titling her head a bit. Naruto shook his head.

"No, a snore. Like when a person falls asleep. That's what he did." Naruto said, throwing his hands in the air. Ino was getting bored out of her head, so she decided to join in.

"You mean a snicker?" she said, walking towards the kitchen counter, and leaned on it. Sakura crossed her arms.

"Or a snigger" she said, putting a finger on her chin. Naruto shook his head hard, losing his patience quickly.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no and NO… He Snored because he fell asleep. What part of S-N-O-R-E don't you get?" Naruto said, walking towards the door.

"I'm outta here. Try dealing with him on your own, alright?" he said, walking out. Sakura and Ino looked at each other and laughed.

"Poor Naruto, You got him out of his mind. I can't believe how evil you've become, Sakura." Ino said, waving her hand in the air. The pink haired laughed.

"Yeah, well, some of Sasuke's attitude had rubbed off on me" she said, chuckling. Ino smiled and pointed at Sasuke's room; where he was hiding.

"Speaking of that, aren't you going to check on him?" she said, lowering her arm to her side. Sakura nodded and started walking over towards the door, knocking on it.

"Sasuke-kun, can I come in?" she said, leaning her head on the door. Ino could here a muffled voice, and then Sakura opened the door. She assumed that it was a 'yes' or a 'come in' reply. The pink haired walked in, leaving the blonde girl all alone in the living room. Ino looked around and sighed.

"I guess there's nothing for me to do here" she said, getting a note out of her pocket. She scribbled an 'I'll see you later, Sakura. Ino' note and walked out the door. While walking down the stairs, she had an Idea, smiling slyly.

"A certain flower would need to be replaced in someone's room" she said, smiling and walking out of the apartment building.

**Konoha hospital check-up room**

"I'm telling you, I'm fine" The brunette said, getting of the check-up table. The doctor walked towards his chair and sat down, sighing. "You should stay still for a while. I've just bandaged your head. With a hit like that, you might want to stay in bed for a while" he said, but stopped when he noticed the look on the girl's face. "err..." he stuttered and then continued, "What did you hit your head with?" he asked, making her smirk.

"Well, My head didn't hit anything. A tree log happened to cross with my head around a corner" she said, shaking her head. The doctor laughed, but stopped again when he noticed the look on her face. "I'm not kidding, doctor" she said, sarcastically. The doctor nodded.

"You could've had a concussion, but you were lucky this time. You should be careful IF there was a next time, Kagome-Chan" the doctor said, getting off his chair. She smiled and nodded.

"I will, Yama-san" she said, walking towards the door and out of the room.

Kagome walked out, touching her bandaged head and flinching at the pain. _'Stupid Kagome, You should've noticed where you're going'_ she thought as she passed through the hallways of the hospital, noticing a green, tall and slender figure in front of her coming from the opposite side. He looked familiar to her. Kagome sighed

_'That's the reason of the migraine I have'_ she thought, narrowing her eyes as his figure became clearer. He looked up from the ground and into her eyes, raising his eyebrows, and smiled. Kagome couldn't hide it; he had a cute smile along with those big black puppy-like eyes. She smiled back. He took a couple of steps until he stopped right in front of her.

"Hello, Kagome-san. How are you feeling now?" he asked politely. She nodded, touching her forehead. "Well, I'll live" she said, chuckling. He chuckled as well, nodding. He reached for the back of his neck. "Eh, I…well… I'm…" he stuttered, rubbing the back of his head. "I want to apologize for that" he said, pointing at her head. She looked up and smiled, then looked down into his eyes.

"No harm, no foul." She said, waving her index finger in the air as if she was trying to remember his name. "Um, please forgive me but, I think I have forgotten your name" she said, blushing in embarrassment. Lee chuckled.

"I figured you'd forget it. Remembering something after getting hit in the head like that isn't easy. It's Lee" he said, nodding. She smiled.

"Well, Lee, it was nice meeting you and you really didn't have to bring me all the way here. As you can see, I'm as healthy as ever" she said, patting on the side of her head, but stopped when it gave her a painful feeling. With that attitude, Lee thought she had a childlike personality. Although he didn't know her that long, he liked that about her. Lee looked down and knotting his eyebrows as if he's remembering something and then looked up with a smile.

"Please forgive me, Kagome-san, but I have something to do." He said, standing straight. Kagome smiled and nodded. "I understand. It's ok, you can go." she said, waving her hand in the other direction with a smile on her face. Lee nodded, "Will you be ok?" he asked, worriedly. She laughed.

"Of course, silly, I'm going to be ok. Thanks for worrying about me" she said, blushing a bit. He nodded and walked the other way, waving. Kagome smiled at his walking figure, noticing that she couldn't help but to look at his muscles as they clearly moved beneath his green jump suit. She looked away as soon as a bad thought crossed her head.

_'Oh please, Kagome, you don't even know the guy and here you are checking him out. That was weird'_ she thought, shaking her head. Kagome looked at the watch in her hand; it was nearing 9:30 am. She sighed and started walking. Not knowing where to go, Kagome figured a stroll won't do any harm.

**In front of Hokage's building**

"Hey, Shikamaru!!" the blonde Kunoichi yelled at her former team-mate who was standing with a four pig-tails-haired young woman. For some reason, Shikamaru always looked bored out of his life and it never surprised her, but, today was a different day.

Shikamaru turned around with a smile on his face, "Hey, Ino, good morning" he greeted her, cheerfully. Ino pouted and looked around then at Shikamaru. Her left hand held a flower and her right hand went on her waist.

"Ok, who are you and what have you done with Shikamaru?" she asked, jokingly. He smirked and Temari laughed. "Well, I've been having a good day so far" he said, looking at Temari who looked away with a face as red as a tomato. Ino chuckled at their sight, making Shikamaru look at her and then at the flower in hand.

"Who's that for? Oh wait, I think I know who!" he said, smirking. Ino looked at the flower and smiled.

"Anyway, I'm glad you two are getting along" she said, walking in between the two and towards the Building. "It's about time Shika-kun gets a life he always dreamed off" she said, running into the building, leaving a puzzled Temari and an embarrassed Shikamaru.

**Inside the building…**

Ino was kind of lost. This building had many rooms and the only room she knew was Tsunade's office. No wonder, she never thought of going inside this building unless Hokage wanted to see them and assign missions to them. Her thoughts stopped when she saw the dark-clothed puppet master, dressed in black cargo pants and a black/purple shirt with his ruffled short hair, coming out of his room. When the door was closed with a click, he turned his head and saw Ino walking towards him, smiling.

"Hey Kankurou." She greeted, grinning. He laughed, "If it isn't Gaara's favorite girl? How are ya, Ino?" he said, winking at the blonde girl. She smirked at him and playfully slapped his arm. He rubbed his arm, faking a hurt expression on his face.

"I'm fine, thank you. You're looking great as well today" she said, pointing at his hair. He looked up at it and smiled.

"Yeah, well, I decided to get a bit more stylish, maybe that'll bring more girls to me." He said, slyly, giving Ino a pistol motion with his hands and a wink. She laughed at his attitude.

"That's great, Kankurou. But staying here won't bring the girls to you. You should go look for girls" she said, jokingly. Kankurou laughed out loud, clutching his sides. Ino couldn't help but to laugh out as well.

**Gaara's office…**

Gaara's was writing down a couple of information he's gotten when he heard laughter outside his room. He identified one of the laughter as his brother. But he couldn't figure out the second one, though it sounded pretty familiar. He could also hear the conversation outside:

"That's his room, he's in there!" 

"Oh, thanks, Kankurou. I'll see you around" 

"Yeah, Sure. See ya, Ino!"

_'That voice'_ he grinned when he recognized the voice of the girl he fell for. He stood up when he heard the footsteps getting closer. He looked at his desk which was a mess; he quickly collected all the papers in one pile, except for a few of them, and set them on the side of the desk. A soft knock on the door startled him even more. Remembering that he kissed her last night, it made him even more nervous. He opened his mouth to tell her to come in but nothing came out. He cleared his throat.

"Come in" he said, resting his hands on the desk and pretending to read some papers and flipping through them so as to keep his composure. Her head popped out of the opened door. She smiled, her cheeks turning to a pink-shade color. "Hey" she started, smiling. His face lit up and his lips curved to make the biggest smile Ino has ever seen. She walked in, closed the door behind her and walked towards the desk, the flower in her hand. She studied the young man's cloth which consisted of a white dress shirt and a black vest along with dark blue jeans and white shoes. She smiled at his sporty attire.

"I-I'm sorry if I bothered, I just wanted to bring you this." she said, stretching out her arms which carried the flower, "The old one might need to be changed" she said, stuttering a bit. She looked at the desk to see that the flower is still flourished. She chuckled, making him chuckle as well. Gaara looked at the flower and then at Ino. She held the flower back in her arms and looked at him.

"Oops, I see that it's still being nourished" she said, chuckling nervously. He walked from behind the desk and stood right in front of her, taking the flower from her, brushing his hand against hers unintentionally, making her blush. He smiled, putting the flower on the desk, and reached his hands to cup her face. Gaara leaned closed, their lips centimeters apart.

"I never had a girl buy me flowers before, but it sure made me happy" he whispered, looking deep in her eyes.

Looking back into his eyes, Ino couldn't help but to clutch the sides of his shirt in nervousness, then trying to avoid the eye contact. He smiled, inhaling sharply, and bit his lower lip. Ino couldn't help but to smile and look back at him, leaning her forehead against his. Gaara was moving his thumbs, caressing her cheeks. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply, enjoying the peaceful moment.

"I hope you're not busy." she started, opening her eyes and looking at his. He smiled, shaking his head. "Whenever it comes to you, I'm not busy at all" he said, giving her a peck on the lips, making her chuckle. He decided to go on with it, giving her baby kisses on her rosy lips. Ino laughed and circled her arms around his neck, kissing him back. His hands went around her waist and turned her around, so that her back was facing the desk and pushed her lightly, making her sit on it.

Continuing on with the kisses, Gaara was having a feeling he never experienced before. Her kisses made him another man. The way she played with the hair on the back of his neck drove him crazy; how she moved her fingers through his hair. He was starting to believe that his ruffled hair was caused by Ino's magical hands, and he liked the thought of it. His hands went to the sides of her neck, moving them to her shoulders and down her arms. He could feel the goose-bumps forming on her skin. Both of them chuckled and broke the kiss, panting and gasping for breath.

Ino laughed and then stopped when she realized that she was sitting on the desk, on a few papers of his. She gasped and got up, only to realize she was being held down by Gaara. "It's ok. You won't ruin them" he said, smiling. Ino chuckled and shook her head, her cheeks gaining the color of beat red. She leaned closer again and claimed his lips with hers, kissing him passionately, continuing what they had started.

Unfortunately, the heavenly moment was broken by the ringing of a cell phone. Gaara pulled away and looked at Ino who had a disappointed expression on her face. She sighed heavily as she checked her cell phone. She rolled her eyes.

"It's mother." She said, waving the phone in Gaara's face, and pouted her lips. Gaara leaned in and gave her a small peck. She smiled when he pulled away. He pointed at the phone.

"You have to answer that" he said, taking a step back, giving the girl a space. She nodded and answered the phone.

"Hey, Mom" she said with a smile on her face. Her mother always told her to smile whenever she answered the phone because people could tell it from your voice.

"Ino, sweetie, I didn't see you get out this morning", Asuka replied on the other side. Ino, still sitting on the desk, started moving her finger across the black oak wood, coming across some paperwork. She could sense Gaara sitting on his chair and swinging it back and forth, making her chuckle.

"I got out early with Sakura. Anything wrong, mom?" she asked, worriedly, and got off the table, walking slowly away from the desk.

"No, sweetheart, I just wanted to tell you that your cousin is here" she said, cheerfully. Ino turned to look at Gaara with a puzzled look on her face; his expression had changed into a worried one when he saw that look on her face.

"My cousin? I thought dad was an only child." she said, putting her hand on her waist. Asuka, on the other side, laughed.

"Your father IS the only child. This cousin of yours is a distant cousin. Your grandfather's uncle's great grand son" she said, chuckling after the long sentence. Ino sighed.

"I never knew my family was that big. What do you want me to do?" she said, walking towards the desk, going to Gaara's side and leaning on it, making him grab her right hand in his, swinging it slowly as he turned the chair right and left. His middle and index finger were at her wrist. It was as if Gaara was checking his pulse.** (A/N: the chair has wheels incase you hadn't noticed).** Ino smiled, blushing at his action. If he was checking her pulse, he would've known that she was as nervous as hell.

"Well, sweetie, I want you to meet him so I want you to come here as soon as possible. See ya!" she said, hanging up. Ino jerked the phone away at the quick and loud hang up, looking at Gaara with a surprised expression.

"She hung up on me! She likes him more than me" she said, pouting. Gaara smiled and got up. "What was that about?" he asked, still holding her hand. Ino shoved the phone in one of the many pockets in her pants. "Ah, to make the story short, I have to go and meet a cousin of mine" she said, rolling her eyes. Gaara smiled and nodded.

"I understand" he said, taking his hand away from hers and resting both hands on her waist. She smiled and rested her hands on his chest as he pulled her closer. She started drawing circles on his chest, playing with the v-collar of the vest.

"I'm really sorry. I wanted to stay a bit longer but, well, mom!" she said, looking at the ceiling then at Gaara. He laughed and put a stray of her hair behind her ear. Ino sighed heavily. "I swear I'm going to get rid of this hair" she said, pointing at the stray which was touched by Gaara a couple of seconds ago. He shook his head.

"No, don't" he said, smiling sincerely at her. Ino tilted her head, raising an eyebrow and giving him a 'what-do-you-mean' look. He pulled it and put it back behind her ear again. "I like it." he exclaimed, kissing her forehead. Ino bit her lower lip and smiled, giving him a passionate kiss which he gladly replied to.

"Then I won't." she said, pulling away, her hands still in his. "I have to go now" she said, walking towards the door. When she opened it, she turned around and blew a kiss for him. He smiled and raised his hand as if he's grabbing the kiss, then rested his palm on his heart. She smiled and got out, leaving Gaara alone in his office with a smile on his face.

**Konoha**** Park****…**

Kagome, deciding to take a stroll to get some fresh air, reached the park of Konoha, which was full of families and their children. She noticed a red Frisbee coming her way, catching her off guard. She closed her eyes but it didn't hit her, instead, she opened her eyes to see a dog, a small white dog with a big brown spot on each ear, holding the Frisbee in its mouth. He then dropped it and barked. Kagome kneeled, ruffled and patted the dog on its head.

"Hey there, little fellow, Are you lost?" she said, chuckling at the cute little dog. It barked twice.

"Good catch, Akamaru" someone yelled, making Kagome look behind her to see a guy, spiked hair, leather jacket and two red marks on his face. He smiled and walked towards her.

She looked at him, stood up and smiled. "Akamaru, that's a cute name" she said, looking at the dog who was almost smiling at her.

Kiba smiled and looked at Kagome. "You like dogs?" he asked, kneeling to Akamaru, and gave him a treat. She chuckled and kneeled towards Akamaru, ruffling with his hair.

"Like? I love them" she said, smiling. Kiba nodded and looked at her with a smile then his vision went to her forehead, knotting his eyebrows. "What happened?" he asked, making her look at where he was looking.

"Oh, an accident. I'll be fine" she said, smiling. He chuckled and stretched his hand.

"Inuzuka Kiba, Nice to meet you." He said, smiling sincerely. Kagome grinned and shook his hand.

"Ishikawa Kagome, very pleased to meet you" she said, smiling. Although she has been in town for a long time, she didn't have lots of friends. _'This has been a good week' _she thought as Kiba started talking about Akamaru. Kagome listened carefully, interested in knowing about this cute little dog and its owner.

**Yamanaka Residence…**

_'I wonder how he looks like'_ Ino thought as she was getting closer to her house. Ever since her mother called her to tell her about her cousin, she's been thinking about him. She never had any siblings and she never knew any cousins. She thought it'd be fun to know a relative, even a distant one.

The young Yamanaka reached to her house and unlocked the door, opening it slowly. She went inside, took off her shoes and wore her slippers.

"Mom, I'm home." She yelled, walking towards the living room. In there, she found someone standing, checking the surroundings of the living room. The person had long blonde hair tied in a high ponytail and was wearing black pants and a sleeveless black and red shirt. He had a black bracelet around his left hand and blue/green ring around his right index finger. Ino was startled by this stranger in her house.

"Hello." She said, making the stranger turn around. Ino smirked. Although he was a distant relative, she could see the resemblance. He resembled her in so many things: The blonde hair, the light-colored skin and the cunning eyes. A big part of his hair was covering his left eye, making him look dangerous. She could almost make out the sign on his forehead protector. _'Iwagakure'(1)_ she thought. He had a smile on his face and started walking towards her.

"You're Ino, right?" he said, pointing his finger in her direction. She nodded slowly. He smiled sincerely. "Your mother is upstairs. She'll be down in a minute." He said, studying the girl's figure from head to toe. Ino felt a bit insecure around him and sighed silently.

"You must be my cousin, right?" She said, resting her right hand on her waist. He nodded, smiling. Ino stretched her right hand, "You know my name but I don't know yours" she said, raising an eyebrow. He smirked.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ino" he said, shaking her hand. "My name is Deidara."

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**(1) Iwagakure: (Hidden village of Rock) **

**I have no comments :P**

**Please review…**


	22. Chapter 21: Around Konoha

Thanks y'all for your support, Especially Kirri and Kilulu for their amazing support in my times of hardship.

I'm gonna love this chapter…teehee

**Camalon:** I actually loved your Idea. I had it in my head a couple of chapters ago. So, I'll do it .

**Kirri Kitty:** About the pairing, I might make it Lee/Kagome, but I think she'd go better with Kiba. So it's not settled yet.

**Now to chapter 21**

* * *

Previously on please remember:

"_No, sweetheart, I just wanted to tell you that your cousin is here" she said, cheerfully

* * *

_

_"You must be my cousin, right?" She said, resting her right hand on her waist. He nodded, smiling. Ino stretched her right hand, "You know my name but I don't know yours" she said, raising an eyebrow. He smirked._

_"It's nice to finally meet you, Ino" he said, shaking her hand. "My name is Deidara."_

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 21**

He squeezed on her hand a bit too hard, which made her flinch. Not only did he look dangerous, but he also gave Ino a bad feeling about things. She took a deep breath.

"Deidara, ne?" she said, smiling, and managed to pull her hand out of his tight grip. "I wonder why I haven't heard about you. Ever." she said, resting her hands on her waist. He laughed and tossed his head to the side, making the hair covering his left eye move a bit.

"I've been on the low for quite some time now" he said, looking her right in the eye. Ino took a deep breath. Even his normal looks are dangerous, it was almost as if he was glaring at her. Somehow, Ino felt vulnerable under his gaze.

She chuckled nervously, "hmm, I wonder why" she said, putting the stray of her hair back behind her ear. He looked down on the ground, smirking, and then raised his vision to her.

"To be honest," he said, taking a step closer to Ino, "I'm an S-ranked criminal" he said, calmly. Ino's eyes widely opened, and then she lowered her vision, being nervous of how close Deidara stood. Ino chuckled.

'_An S-ranked criminal wouldn't openly tell about it, or would he?'_ she thought, looking up at him. She shivered when she saw how close he's gotten and how bad his looks at her felt.

Hearing footsteps up the stairs, Deidara smirked and took a step back, turning around to face the other side of the room. Asuka came down the stairs, dressed in a light yellow knee length dress and green-blue slippers, holding a towel in her hand.

"Oh, Ino, welcome home, sweetheart. I believe you've met your cousin already" she said, chuckling. Ino nodded and looked at Deidara, who was calmly standing still, looking at his aunt.

Ino sighed, "Yeah, we've already met. Interesting guy, I noticed" she said, making him look at her, raising an eyebrow. She did the same and smirked, looking away. Asuka laughed.

"This is so cute; you two look alike and act alike. I'm starting to doubt the fact that Ino's my daughter. She's probably your sister." She said, joking. She and Deidara laughed out loud. Ino looked at the two and shook her head.

'_Wow, mom sure likes him more than she likes me' _She thought as her mother's laughter calmed down, looking at her daughter. She smiled.

"Ino, sweetie, you know when you said you always wanted a brother? Well, he's going to be like a brother to you from now on." She said, clasping her hands together. Ino looked at Deidara who was smiling at her, having a more innocent look on his face than the expression he had when they were alone, making Ino doubt the guy's intention, she knotted her eyebrows and crossed her arms.

"Really, how long are you staying here, _Deidara_?" she said, stressing on his name. He smiled and titled his head to the side.

"I'm staying as long as you want me to, Ino-nee-chan", he said, grinning. She smiled; shaking her head then looked at her mother before walking towards the stairs.

"I'm going to my room, mother" she said, taking the steps up to her room with a serious look on her face. Ino wasn't very fond of the idea of this cousin, who appeared out of nowhere, taking over the house. Asuka watched her daughter as she went up the stairs with a smile on her face, then faced Deidara, clasping her hands together again.

"I'm sorry, Deidara. She's probably nervous around you. It's not really that pleasant for a person to just find out about a distant relative" she said, smiling. Deidara nodded.

"Ah, it's ok. I should probably give her some time to adjust to me being here all the time" he said, smiling. She nodded, looking next to the young man. Near the couch was a small black bag with red lines, apparently belonged to the blonde.

"Come on, Deidara. I'll show you to your room. I'm sure you need some rest" she said, walking to the bag, leaning down to pick it up. She was startled when Deidara reached for it before she did.

"Please, you don't have to" he said, picking up the bag. Asuka could hear something rattle inside his bag, making her pause in her place.

'_It's probably the wind, or just my imagination'_ she thought, standing straight. He carried the bag over his shoulder. She smiled and went up the stairs. Deidara quietly followed.

In a couple of seconds, they were in front of Deidara's new room. Asuka unlocked the door and opened it to reveal a tidy room with one bed to the right, the window opposed to the door and the closet on the left. The sheets were white. Deidara figured this room was a totally new one, making him smirk.

"Welcome to your new room. I'm sure you'll like it" she said, ushering for him to get inside. He nodded and walked in, looking around the room. He smiled.

"I love it. Thanks, Ma'am" he said, putting the bag on the bed. Asuka, still standing at the door, leaned on the door frame and laughed, waving her hand in front of her face.

"Please, Deidara, you don't have to be too formal. Just call me aunt, or auntie, or even Mom. It would sound nice." she said, chuckling. Deidara turned his head sharply, glaring at her.

"You're not my mother" he said, angrily yet quietly. Asuka gulped, her breath got caught in her throat. He glared at her one last time before turning his attention back to his bag. A couple of seconds passed with an uncomfortable silence.

"But auntie sounds great" he said, smiling, and then chuckled. Asuka exhaled, resting her hand on her chest. For a moment, she feared him. She watched the young man unzip his bag but stopping half way, and then looked at her by the corner of his eye.

"Can I have some privacy, please?" he asked calmly. Asuka chuckled nervously.

"Y-Yeah, sure, make yourself at home" she said, walking out of the room, closing the door behind her. She leaned on the closed door, breathing heavily.

'_What in the world has happened just now?'_ she thought, leaning off the door, looked at it before walking off.

Deidara, still glaring at the closed door, moved his attention back to his bag as soon as he felt her presence disappear.

"Humph" he said, smirking. He picked up a large conical straw hat with a small spike-like bell hanging from it out of the bag. Deidara flicked the bell with his index finger, making it move back and forth. He slowly turned around, walking towards the closet, the bell ringing along. He opened it, revealing a top shelf and some hangers on the bottom part of it. He put the hat on the shelf and rested his hands on his waist, laughing to himself.

**Ino's room, a few minutes later…**

Ino was sitting on the bed, painting her toe nails pink. Although it's not her favorite color, she liked how it never shows unless you pay attention to the person's toes, which is not something people usually do. She was listening to some music on her CD player when someone knocked on the door.

Through her headphones, she could hear a faint knock on the door. She put the nail polish brush in its container and took off the headphones. The knocking continued.

"Come in!" she said, blowing on her toe nails. She looked up to see Deidara, standing at the door.

"Here you are," he said before paying attention to what she was doing, "doing some girly stuff!" he said, pointing at her toe nails. She smirked and looked at his purple-colored fingernails.

"Yeah, _girly_ stuff!" she said, chuckling. He looked at his own fingernails and blushed, crossing his arms. Deidara looked away, then looked back at her and smiled.

"Fine, I take it back," he said, making her nod respectfully, chuckling. "because you don't look very girly" he said, covering his mouth, and laughed. She glared at him, getting up and walked towards him. She stood in front of him, crossing her arms.

"What is it you want now, Deidara?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. He smirked.

"I want you," He said, pausing, and pressed his palms against each other and resting them on his lips, as if he's thinking. Ino's eyes widened. _'Want me?!'_ she thought as he looked down, then at her again.

"I want you to take me on a tour around town. That way, I can get to know it much better" he said, pointing his clasped palms at her. She sighed and chuckled.

"Sure, no problem, if that makes you stop bothering me" She said, smiling. He shook his head and walked out the door, closing it behind him.

Ino crossed her arms. "He's a spoiled brat. I can already tell." She said, going back to the mirror, checking her self in it and then going towards the door and out the bedroom.

**Konohagakure streets…**

Ino and Deidara walked side by side along Konoha's streets. She was telling him all about the village; the history, the Hokages, the most respected elders around town and of course, Ninja education.

Deidara was getting kinda bored; listening to speeches wasn't his thing. He was looking around for something catchy, but found none. _'Man, this village is peaceful, too peaceful'_ he thought, but they were cut when Ino snapped her fingers in his face.

"Are you following what I'm saying?" She said. He looked at her with a surprised expression on his face.

"Yeah, t-totally." He lied, earning a look of disbelief from his cousin. He shook his head and looked ahead, almost tripping on something that passed quickly right in front of them. He looked at the running furry animal, raising an Eyebrow.

"W-What is that?" he asked, looking quizzically at the very unsurprised Ino. She looked at him and chuckled.

"You see that cat? It belongs to a very fat lady. It keeps running away from her _every year_" she said, stressing on the last couple of words, "It's probably sick of being squeezed to death by her. Believe me, their reunion," she said, raising her index finger. "it is _not_ a very cute scene" she said, shaking her head as she remembered how the woman squeezed the life out of the poor animal. Deidara raised an eyebrow and then laughed, making Ino laugh along.

"What's so funny?" someone said, making Ino and Deidara turn around. Shikamaru stood there with a smile on his face. Ino's face lit up while Deidara wasn't very pleased of the newcomer.

"Shikamaru, how's it going?" she asked, smiling. He replied with a bored expression on his face, slipping his hands in his pockets.

"Nothing much" he said, turning his attention to Deidara who was glaring at him like it was the end of the world. Shikamaru stared at him and raised an eyebrow. Ino decided to break the staring contest.

"Uh, guys. Wouldn't you like to be introduced to each other?" she said, standing in between the two, finally turning their attention to her.

"Deidara, this is Shikamaru, my teammate and one of my best friends" she said, looking at Shikamaru and smiling. "Shikamaru, this is Deidara, my cousin. He's just arrived to Konohagakure" she said, smiling. Shikamaru had a puzzled look on his face; he opened his mouth to speak, but Deidara knew what was going to be said.

"Her father is the only child, but I'm a distant cousin of hers, to answer your question" He said, smiling. Shikamaru mouth hung open. _'How the hell did he know?'_ Shikamaru thought. He closed his mouth, biting his bottom lip, and then cleared his throat.

"Welcome to Konoha, Ino's Cousin" he said, extending his hand. Deidara looked at it for a moment, and then shook it with his.

"The name's Deidara. It's easy to memorize. You don't look like a slow person" he said, pointing at his own head with his other hand, making Shikamaru squeeze at his hand a bit too hard. Deidara squeezed back. Ino looked back and forth between the two, noticing then tension between them. She rested her hand on theirs, making both of them relax.

"Now that you two met, it's time for us to go. See ya later, Shikamaru" she said, pushing Deidara along with her. Leaving Shikamaru alone, sighing.

"This kid is troublesome. Good luck with him, Ino" he mumbled, turning around and going to his main destination.

**Ino and Deidara**

Ino pushed Deidara down the street, making everyone look at them. She stopped, stopping him as well. As soon as he turned around to ask her, he got a smack across the head.

"What the hell was that for?" she asked, angrily. He rubbed the side of his head, having an innocent expression on his face. He then glared at her.

"I was being serious. The guy couldn't pronounce my name! He's a stupid one" he said, looking away. Ino gasped.

"I can't believe you say that about my best friend. You're mean! You don't even know the guy!" she said, crossing her arms. He looked at her with a disgusted expression, crossing his arms as well.

"I can't believe you say that about my best friend. You're mean!" he said in a girly tone, mocking her. Ino's jaw dropped, making him laugh.

"Relax, Ino-Chan. And to be honest," he said, getting closer to her. "you look cute when you're angry" he said with an emotionless expression on his face. Ino stared at him. She couldn't help but to look into his eyes, those grayish-blue eyes of his. She tried to move away but couldn't. He smirked.

"What's the matter, Ino? Can't resist me?" he said, leaning forward, their lips centimeters apart. She tried to move her head away but she couldn't. She felt that people around them started to disappear one by one.

'_What the hell did he do to me?'_ she thought, closing her eyes, wishing he'd go away. In a few seconds, she opened her eyes, to see him looking innocently at her.

"You think I'd do that to you, Ino-Chan?" he asked, smiling evilly at her, taking a step backwards. "I'd do that, but not in front of all these people" he said, turning around and continuing on his way, leaving Ino as confused as a deer in the headlights. He stopped and turned around.

"Are you coming or what?" he asked, smiling at her. Ino took a deep breath and exhaled it, walking carefully to his side.

**Half an hour later**

Ino has taken Deidara everywhere a person can go to. They ended up on top of the Hokage Mountain. She sat under a big tree and lied down on the ground, sighing heavily. "This is tiring" she said, closing her eyes. Deidara, standing over her, looked down at her and crossed his arms, shaking his head.

"Hm," he mumbled, looking away, "and you call yourself a Chuunin-ranked ninja" he said. Ino opened her eyes and rested her elbows on the ground, leaning on them. "I don't think I ever told you that I'm a Chuunin now, did I?" she said, smirking. He laughed and sat down next to her, bringing his knees closer to his chest, and leaned his chin on them. A peaceful moment passed with no words from the two. Ino decided to speak up.

"Do you suffer from a case of split personality?" she blurted out, gaining a glare from the blonde guy. She laughed out loud. "I mean, sometimes you freak me out, yet other times you act like a little kid" she said, looking at him and smiling slyly.

"You're interesting, where have you been all my life?" she joked, laughing. He chuckled and stretched his left leg, leaning his right elbow on his right knee. Deidara looked at Ino who was staring at the blue sky. He had to admit, she was a pretty young woman. In his opinion, she had a beautiful hair, gorgeous eyes and one hell of a body.

_'That's too bad'_ he thought, smirking. He got up, dusting off his pants. Ino looked up at him.

"What's wrong? Going home already?" she said, sitting up. He nodded and looked at her, smiling.

"Yeah, I'm a bit tired and I need some sleep" he said, dusting off his hands, and slipped them into his back pockets. Ino got up and dusted off her pants.

"You know your way home, don't you?" she said, putting her hands behind her back. He looked at her quizzically.

"Yeah, so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ino laughed and ran off. "Then you won't get lost because I'm going somewhere else." She said, waving at him. He stood there, shook his head and walked down the steep pathway while Ino ran as fast as she could, knowing exactly where she would find the person she's looking for.

**In one of the Seafood restaurants**

At 11 am in this quiet peaceful day, Shikamaru was having a meal at his favorite restaurant, eating mackerel and kelp, with a cup of water aside. He was about to eat the first bite when someone snuggled his neck, choking him.

"Agh" he managed to get out, looking with the corner of his eye. He eventually smiled when he saw Ino, she looked over his shoulder with a smile.

"Hey, Shikamaru, Having a good meal, I see?" she said, looking at his plate. He raised a piece of his kelp in her face. "Do you want to share?" he asked, making her quickly back away. Ino wasn't a big fan of seafood, making Shikamaru use that fact to his advantage sometimes.

"Nah, I'll pass" she said, going to the other side of the small table, and sat in front of him. He picked up a small piece of the mackerel and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly, VERY slowly. Ino rested her chin on her hand and watched him eat. He looked up from the plate to her, swallowing

"What? Can't a person enjoy their meal peacefully?" he said, grabbing the cup of water, and took a sip. Ino chuckled and waved her hand in the air.

"I'm sorry, forget that I'm here" she said, looking to the right side of the restaurant. Shikamaru chuckled.

"I was kidding, Ino. We've always had lunch together. Order what you want. It's on me." he said, making Ino smile and shake her head. "I'm not really hungry. Maybe some other time, Shika-kun." She said, smiling sincerely. He nodded and continued his meal, but stopped after one bite. Ino looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

"What's wrong?" she asked, leaning forward on the table. He looked at his plate, sighed and then looked up at her.

"Ino, about that cousin of yours," He started, poking his meal. Ino tilted her head to the side, waiting for Shikamaru to continue. "I don't like him, he's giving me a bad feeling" he said, picking up a piece of the fish he's eating and ate it. Ino's eyes narrowed as she looked down, drawing circles on the table with her index finger.

"Me too" she whispered, making Shikamaru put down his chopsticks and intertwine his fingers. He leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his hands.

"How come?" he asked, studying Ino's worried expression. She sighed and looked up at him.

"I mean, in one day, I realize that I have a distant cousin, and it took my mother more than 17 years to figure that out. I bet dad doesn't even know about him" she said, crossing her arms and leaning backwards, turning her head to the side. Shikamaru nodded and leaned forward.

"Ino, I want you to promise me one thing." he started, making Ino look back at him. "Never, EVER, let your guard down around that _deodorant_ kid." He said, deliberately mispronouncing Deidara's name, making Ino laugh.

"Don't worry about me, Shikamaru. I'll take care of myself" She said, smiling. "Oh and about Deidara, I want to apologize for what he's said." she said, blushing in embarrassment. A cousin of yours mocking one of your best friends isn't something that happens everyday. Shikamaru laughed.

"C'mon, don't mention it. If I cared, I would've dealt with it back then.." he said, smiling, "Do you want my opinion?" he said. Ino nodded for him to continue.

"That guy has some troublesome issues." He said, laughing out loud. Ino shook her head before laughing along with her best friend, not noticing that Deidara, not far away, was watching her every move

* * *

**Done!**

**This chapter might be short. But I got so bored that I HAD TO finish this today. LOL**

**I love Deidara in this Chapter. No InoGaara fluffiness in here so bare with me today.**

**Please review**


	23. Chapter 22: Take my breath away

**Nemrut:** Deidara has become my favorite ever since his fight with the great and the ultimate super awesome Kazekage aka Gaara. XD. I like him even more as a psycho, because he has the scariest personality ever. Thx for reviewing XD

**Jenna Uchiha of the sand:** thx for reviewing, sweetie. Glad you liked it and nice nickname, combining two of my favorite characters XD.

**Kirri Kitty:** still confused about Deidara XD. You'll understand in the next few chapters.

And now -Drum Roll- Chapter 22

MORE GAAAAAAAARAAA!! I missed him. Oh yeah, more GaaraIno in this chapter as well.

ENJOY!

* * *

**Previously…**

"You never told me you had a brother!" Naruto asked, puzzled. Sasuke shook his head. "No one knew. I've never told anyone. He's coming in _less than a week_" he said as he reached for his pocket, and got out a neatly folded paper. Sasuke handed it to Naruto, who took it from him. He looked at Sasuke who ushered him to open it. He opened it and read its content:

_Sasuke: _

_How are you, little brother? It's been a while, hasn't it? Almost 5 years now. I'm sending this letter to tell you that I'm paying you a visit in less than two weeks. See ya then… _

_Itachi_

* * *

**Please remember, chapter 22**

She's been running for miles, she couldn't get away from him. No matter how fast she ran he always seems to catch up to her.

"Where are you going, Ino-Chan?" he said, grinning psychotically. She gasped as he held her wrists and brought her closer, almost hissing at her. She cried and begged him.

"Please, Let me go! I don't want to do this! LET ME GO!" she yelled at him, wriggling to get out of his grip, but he was too strong for her, so strong that he let go of her wrists and slammed her against the wall, hitting it with a big thump. Ino screamed and slid down the wall, the back of her head bleeding. He stood over her with the same sick expression on his face.

"Once you know who I am," he said, holding his closed fist in front of her face, "you will never escape from me." he said, before opening his fists to reveal a white cockroach with big black eyes. Ino shrieked when it jumped at her. In a few seconds, Deidara disappeared, leaving Ino struggling to get the small, yet fast cockroach off her body. In a matter of seconds, she saw a hint of fire on the cockroach

"Oh, no, please, DEIDARA!!!" She yelled, before getting up. Tears were strolling down her cheeks, she knew something about Deidara that she didn't even remember, and now she's gonna die. She knew what was going to happen. In a blink of an eye, Konoha was awakened by a loud boom.

The cockroach has exploded

**02:46 am, Yamanaka Residence**

"NO!"

She shot up in her bed, sweaty and panting. She looked at the doorway to see him, standing there, looking at her with that psychotic look on his face. He raised his hand and pointed at his head with his index finger as a signal that he won't forget. Ino clutched the blanket closer to her and narrowed her eyes, crying. She closed her eyes, shook her head and screamed.

She shot up in her bed, sweaty and panting. She looked at the doorway to check if he was really there. But no one was in her room or at the door. She sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands, her hair falling loosely, surrounding her face. She slid her fingers through her hair and raised it from her vision, raising her head in the process.

'_What the hell happened here?'_ she wondered. Deidara was there. She could've sworn it felt so real that she could almost feel the pain on her wrists.

Ino sighed and moved the covers off her body and slid out of the bed. She walked towards the closed door and out to the kitchen downstairs.

**Yamanaka residence, 1st floor**

Ino tiptoed towards the fridge and opened it; a carton of milk stood alone on the top shelf. She picked it up and opened the cabinet above to get a glass and slowly poured the milk while remembering the events of her nightmare.

"If you keep doing that, it'll pour out"

"Oh, thanks" she said, putting the carton of milk aside. She paused when she realized whose words were those.

"Deidara" she said, turning around to see him; his hair half loose, wearing black and crimson shorts with no top on.

He smiled and looked at the ground, "I couldn't sleep." he simply said, grinning and rubbing the back of his head. Ino was silent for a minute before smiling.

"Nightmares?" she said, taking a big gulp from the cup. Deidara watched silently and nodded.

"Yeah, really bad ones." He said, walking closer to her. His steps made her shiver. She widened her eyes, it was like that nightmare she had. He smiled and extended his arm, making her slowly close her eyes.

"Um, Ino, Could you step aside for a minute? I need to get something from the fridge" Ino opened one eye to see him looking quizzically at her. She then smiled and took a step to the side, finishing what's left in the cup before putting it in the sink.

"I guess I'll try to sleep now. Good night" she said, walking past him and towards the living room. He looked at her from the corner of his eye.

"Ino?" he called, stopping her in her tracks. "Are you alright?" he asked. She looked down and chuckled then tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah, I'm ok" she said, and walked out the kitchen.

**Ino's room**

She laid back, holding the blanket closer to herself.

'_This is unbelievable.'_ She thought, closing her eyes. She took a deep breath and remembered Shikamaru's words:

"N_ever, EVER, let your guard down around that __deodorant__ kid."_

She chuckled as she remembered Shikamaru's nickname for Deidara but quickly frowned. Ever since he came to their house, she's been feeling gloomy. Her thoughts were distorted and now, her nights were insomniac. She shook her head and sighed, closing her eyes again and trying to get some sleep.

**A couple of hours later, Hokage building**

Gaara opened his eyes and welcomed the new day with a smile on his face. He felt relieved for no apparent reason. Sitting up in his bed, Gaara stretched his arms and removed the covers. He slid out of the bed and walked towards the big window, opening its curtains to let the sun in. he looked out the window, smiling.

'_I have a very good feeling that this'll be a very good day'_ he thought as he heard the bedroom door open. Temari stood there with a dump expression on her face.

"What are you doing here this early in the morning?" he said. Temari crossed her arms and snickered, shaking her head. Gaara glared at her but ignored her and slowly walked towards the bathroom.

"Early? It IS 8 o'clock in the morning, you laid-back-so-called Kazekage" she said, pointing at the clock. Gaara mumbled something on his way to the bathroom. As soon as he got there, he locked the door and turned the faucets on, getting ready for a good morning shower.

KNOCK, KNOCK!

"Oh, please." he mumbled, turning towards the door. Temari's muffled voice was heard, forcing Gaara to open the door quickly, surprising Temari who still had her fist raised at the door.

"Um, hi" she said, grinning. He raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms. "How in the world can I help you?" he asked, impatiently, making Temari gulp. _'Oh shit, I shouldn't mess with him'_ she thought as she cleared her throat.

"Well, someone seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed." She said, smirking. Her younger brother laughed.

"I've woken on the perfect side of the bed, until you showed up." he said, groaning. "What is it you want? You seem very cheerful this morning" he asked, making his sister blush.

"Well, it's a very nice day!" she said, obviously lying. "Uh, I just wanted to tell ya that I'm going out with Shikamaru." Temari said, fiddling with her fingers. Gaara sighed,

"And you're telling me because?" he said, waiting for her response. She looked at the ceiling and then at Gaara.

"I thought, as my brother, you wanted to know" she said, sarcastically, resting her hands on her hips. Gaara chuckled and put his hand on the door, getting ready to close it.

"Temari, I don't care. You're a grown woman and you can go wherever you want. Why don't you go bother Kankurou? He likes it when you bother him." he said, smiling at his older sister who was laughing when he mentioned Kankurou.

"Great Idea!" she said, walking towards his bedroom door. "See ya later!" Gaara smirked.

"Yeah, later" he said, closing the bathroom door.

**A few minutes later**

He was dressed in his usual clothes, black pants with trench coat-like dress shirt and a dark gray vest. He grabbed a comb which Kankurou had given it to him the day before, saying his hair could use some styling. Gaara heard the door open, making him smirk

"Speak of the devil" he mumbled before turning his head towards the door to reveal a very excited Kankurou

"Good morning, big man. Ready for some styling?" he said, snatching the comb out of his brother's hand and seated him in front of the mirror in one swift move.

Gaara was startled, _'What a morning'_ he thought, shaking his head. First, he woke to Temari's obsession with the Nara kid and now Kankurou was being the hairdresser. Gaara has sworn his family was dysfunctional.

'_My siblings are idiots'_

In a matter of seconds, with the help of styling gel and Kankurou's experience, Gaara's hair was finished, a bit spikier that it was, revealing more of his forehead, actually making the 'Ai' kanji visible to everyone.

"Now, what do you think?" Kankurou said, putting his hands on his younger brother's shoulders. Gaara looked at the mirror, then at Kankurou.

"Are you sure this looks good?" he said, looking at the mirror again. Kankurou leaned his head next to his brother's and looked at him through the mirror.

"Trust me, that's how I do my hair and believe me," he said, pointing at his own hair, "this is a chicks' magnet" he said, patting his brother on the shoulder before walking off.

Gaara wasn't sure of the way he looked, but he had to trust his brother at this one. _'Chicks' magnet?'_ he thought. That fact, he wasn't really sure of, but Gaara didn't actually mind. He got up, looking one last time at the mirror before walking off, out of his bedroom.

**Yamanaka residence**

Ino unlocked their house door and got out, "I'm going out, mother. I'll be back, err, soon" she said, closing the door. She stretched and sighed loudly.

"This looks like a pretty good morning." she said, smiling. It was a very good morning; the sky was clear and it wasn't too sunny. It was just perfect. As soon as she took a couple of steps, she felt a presence on her side, someone she started to feel annoyed around. She turned her head to see her weird psychotic long distant _cousin_; the fact that she has started to doubt.

"Ino, where are you going?" he asked, curiously. She sighed and looked away, then looked at him again.

"Who are you, my mother?" she replied, pretty much annoyed. He laughed out loud, making Ino glare at him. He looked back at her, raising an eyebrow.

"What? Can't I hang out with you? Besides, I have to go out. I'm not used to staying in all day" he said, resting his arms behind his head and walking ahead of her. She sighed, shaking her head, before following the annoying so-called Deidara.

**A couple of minutes later**

"Where are we going?" he asked for the billionth time, And in each time, getting the same reply.

"Why do you care? You're the one who tagged along. You're not supposed to ask where you're going, you little spoiled brat." She said, increasing her pace. Deidara made a sad face.

"Aw, Ino, I'm hurt!" he said, moving his index finger down his cheek, mimicking a tear. That made Ino groan in protest. Soon, he started to run to catch up to her.

"Ino, wait up!" he said, running after her. She looked back at him, laughing and pointing her finger at him, mocking him in a singing tone.

"You're not going to get me, you're not going to get me, you're not gonna…OMPH!!" she said, bumping into someone and falling down on her butt. She groaned, touching her lower back.

"OW! It hurts" she mumbled. Then she remembered that she was the one to bump into that person. Before she could open her mouth to apologize, she was raised up on her own two feet.

"Ino, I'm sorry. I was spacing out and I didn't pay attention where I was going" a strong yet whisper-like voice said. Ino knew she could recognize that voice anywhere. She looked at that person to see Gaara, still holding her hand and looking at her worriedly. She smiled, hugging him.

"Oh, Gaara, I'm fine, don't worry about me." She said, chuckling. Deidara wasn't too far behind so he was listening to every word she said.

"Are you sure you're ok? That looked a bit of a hard fall." He said in the same fatherly tone again. Ino rolled her eyes.

"Gaara, please, I'm fine, it's just a fall, it's not like I fell off a cliff." she said, looking at him but pausing in a second. "Hey," she said, narrowing her eyes. He looked at her quizzically, wondering what was on her mind.

"something about you is different." She said, pointing at him. Gaara chuckled and leaned closer.

"Well, I might have become a bit nicer in the past couple of days." He said, giving her a kiss on the lips which was lovingly accepted. He rested his hands on her waist as he broke the kiss and looked at her straight in the eye. Before he could say a word, someone interrupted the couple's passionate mood.

"Well, well, I never knew that apology is taken THIS seriously in this village, wouldn't you say, Ino? Hmmm." a deep, yet annoying voice said, making Ino sigh deeply. She turned to face Deidara, crossing his arms and tapping his foot to the ground. She looked at his foot before looking up at his face.

"No, Deidara. Apology is not taken THIS seriously" she said, taking a step to the side to let Gaara and Deidara be introduced to each other.

"Gaara, this is Deidara." she said, leaning near Gaara, "He's my so called cousin" she chuckled, but Deidara's glare at her didn't make things funnier. Ino cleared her throat and continued.

"Deidara, this is Gaara" she said, pausing. Gaara looked at her, expecting her to continue with her introduction. He then looked at Deidara who was smirking, stretching his hand in Gaara's direction.

"It's nice to meet Ino's boyfriend." He said, raising an eyebrow. Gaara sniggered and shook his hand. "I didn't know Ino had a cousin. You're new here, aren't you?" Gaara said, shaking his hand a bit too tightly. Ino was looking at the ground most of the time, making Deidara chuckle.

"Apparently, Ino isn't comfortable of me being here so I'll get going. See ya back home!" he said, running away. Ino was startled, calling him back.

"Wait, Deidara!" she yelled, but she got no response. Ino kept watching his back until he ran out of sight before turning to face Gaara who had a smile on his face. She looked at him and shook her head.

"I know, I know. I'm sorry" she said, looking at the ground. "It's just that I didn't know whether to refer to you as my boyfriend, yet, because we've been dating for a couple of days now." She said, chuckling. He shook his head, intertwining his fingers with hers.

"It's alright. There's no need to rush things, you know." he said, smiling at her. Gaara looked behind her back for a second, where Deidara ran off, then looked back at her to see her looking at him with a big grin on her face.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at her quizzically. She laughed, pointing at his hair.

"I knew there's something different about you. I KNEW IT!" she said, laughing out loud, making the red-head turn beet red.

"I guess you don't like it then" he said, looking to the side. _'I'm going to kill you, Kankurou'_ he thought, before he felt his face being turned to face hers.

"Who said that?" she whispered, leaning closer. "I love it" she said, giving him a kiss on the lips but broke it quickly, making him frown.

She looked at his hair and smiled, touching it. "It's spikier than it was! It'll be hard to ruffle" she said, chuckling, making him laugh.

"Hey" he said, taking her hand from his hair and held it in his hands. "Are you busy or something?" he said, raising his eyebrows. She was looking at her feet before looking up at him. "No, I'm not intending to go home and sit with Deidara for a VERY long time" she said, walking away, still holding his hand. He followed, laughing.

"He's been here for two days and he's already taking my space at home" she said, joining Gaara in laughter as they walked away. What the couple were oblivious to is that Deidara was watching their every move from the Hokage Mountain.

He was kneeling and holding the strand of hair which was covering his left eye behind his ear, revealing a long-distance observation eye scope.

"Very well, Yamanaka Ino," he said, standing up, still watching the couple with his scope. "the time is near." He said, turning his attention towards Konoha's main gate, seeing that someone was entering the main gate. Deidara smirked.

"He couldn't find a more perfect time to arrive to Konoha. Hmm." he said, laughing, before turning around and walking off.

**Tsunade's office:**

Tsunade was at her office, resting her chin on her fist while handling a few paper works, along with some missions' requests and Ninja academy applications. A knock on the door was heard before it opened to reveal Shizune, holding a stack of files in her arms. Tsunade looked up from her papers and took of her reading glasses.

"What is it, Shizune?" she asked, looking at her brunette assistant. Shizune smiled and walked towards her boss's desk.

"A bunch of paper work to do, Tsunade-sama" she said, smiling as she put the files on Tsunade's desk, except for her own notes file which was held close to her chest. The Hokage groaned.

"Oh, it looks like this never ends!" she said, frustratingly throwing her arms in the air. Shizune laughed.

"Well, I'm here to assist, Tsunade-sama. Do you want me to make you some coffee? Or bring you something else to drink?" Shizune asked, waiting for Tsunade's response. The older smirked and had an evil expression on her face.

"Well, there's one thing you CAN bring-"

"-excluding the _sake_!" she said, smirking, making the blonde groan in disappointment. Tsunade's expression made Shizune laugh, forcing her boss to laugh in the process. The laughter was cut short when a knock on the door interrupted.

"Come in" Tsunade said, looking at the door. When it was opened, she saw someone she never thought she'd see in a long time. The person walked in, his black hair moving slowly with each step.

"You" Shizune said, knotting her eyebrows. Tsunade smiled as she saw him. "I never thought I'd see you here." she looked at him: Hazel eyes meeting the reddish black orbs in that small room.

"It's good to be back here, Tsunade-hime.." he said, nodding respectfully, "You're looking great, despite those years" he continued, smirking. Tsunade laughed.

"I was almost going to say how you have grown into such a gentleman, but I decided to keep that thought to myself" she said, chuckling. Shizune was a bit lost.

"Um, sorry to interrupt, Tsunade-sama, but apparently you know this young man, don't you?" she said, walking closer to her boss and leaning to her ear level.

"He's not one of your one night standers coming back for one more night, is he?" She said, winking at her boss who was beet red.

"Oh my god, Shizune, you're a horrible, horrible person" she said, chuckling. "No, he's not. He's one of the kids I have watched when I was in my thirties, I mean, when I was young." She corrected, making Shizune snigger. Tsunade continued.

"He's a very nice kid, from a noble family as well." She said, smiling. The guy stood there, smirking.

"I'm a kid no more, Tsunade-sama" he said, walking closer to her desk. Tsunade got up and crossed her arms.

"I have been told that you're coming here. This morning, your brother told me about the letter you sent a couple of weeks ago. But you've come a bit too early, don't you think," she said, smiling. "Uchiha Itachi?"

Itachi chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, I wanted to surprise him. How is he? It's been a very long time." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. Tsunade shook her head and chuckled.

"I'm sure he misses you. Why don't you go meet him? He's living with Uzumaki now." Tsunade exclaimed, sitting back down, and gathered a couple of papers from across the table.

"You know where he lives, right?" she asked, getting a nod from the 25 years old Uchiha. She smiled and nodded.

"Very well" She said, smiling. "You're dismissed." Tsunade said, holding a pencil from her pencil holder. Itachi smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Tsunade-sama" he said, bowing. Itachi turned around and walked towards the door. She smiled and put the glasses back on, continuing her job.

Shizune, who stood there the whole conversation, was stunned. She looked at her boss, clutching her notes file closer to her chest.

"Um," she started, making Tsunade look at her. "he's kinda cute. Aare you sure he's not one of your one-night standers?" she said, chuckling. Tsunade balled her hands into fists, raising it in front of it.

"Shizune," she said, calmly, making Shizune shiver in fear.

**Outside the Office:**

"GET OUT OF MY OFFICE!!!!" Rock Lee was walking down the corridor towards Hokage's office when he heard what sounded like her voice, followed by a couple of crashes and bumps before seeing Shizune running out of there.

"Shizune-san!" He said, surprised. She looked at the closed door then at the young Jonin. She smiled nervously.

"Uh, Lee-kun, you're here to see Tsunade, I presume?" she said, fixing her hair with her right hand while still holding her notes file close to her chest. He nodded.

"Yes, I came to report about the construction work at Shimabukuro's." he said, crossing his arms and smirking, "You look quite terrified, Shizune-san".

Shizune chuckled, her cheeks turning pink, "Uh, not really, but Tsunade-sama got a bit upset and, well, you know how she is whenever she's upset". Lee chuckled on that statement and nodded in agreement.

"You of all people should've already learned not to mess with Tsunade-sama." he said, smiling. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to report in" he said, bowing lightly and walking past Shizune into Hokage's office.

Shizune turned around, facing the door, and smiled, then walked away to her own room.

**Konoha park**

Ino made Gaara take her to the park to hang out. They both talked as she sat in a secluded flower field she always loved to visit ever since she was a kid. Gaara was standing next to her, smiling down as she collected a couple of flowers.

Gaara was amazed by the field. Where he lived, he rarely saw flowers, but in Konoha, it was full. It was like a heaven of flowers of all kinds, shapes and colors.

Ino looked up at him with a smile on her face, making him smile. They have spent the last couple of minutes in silence, both loving the peaceful atmosphere and the scented weather. Gaara decided to speak up.

"I have to admit," he said, sitting down next to her, Indian style. "this feels nice." He said, looking at her and then looked at the sky. She nodded and looked at him, smiling back. "It is so peaceful" she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. She picked a white flower and smelled it, smiling, she then moved the flower to Gaara's nose and moved it right and left, making him laugh.

"Stop it." he said, making her increase the flower movement. "Ino!" he said, holding her arms. Ino kept her movement, getting up on her knees. Gaara laughed and fell backwards, pulling her on top of him, tossing the flower aside.

They were both laughing, until they realized their position. Ino blushed, making Gaara smile. He raised himself using his elbows to capture her lips with his. Ino chuckled against his lips as he moved his hands to her waist and wrapped them around it, pulling her even closer as he laid back down. Ino cupped his cheeks and kissed him deeper. Gaara breathed in sharply, licking her lips to gain entrance. She never disapproved on that move. Instead, she let him slip his tongue in. Ino shifted a bit, moving her hands to his on her waist and moved them off, pulling them over his head, intertwining her fingers with his. The passionate situation made them forget where they were or what time it was. To them, everything stopped. Gaara and Ino were in a world of their own, where they are alone and no one was there to interrupt.

Ino broke the kiss, taking deep breaths as soon as she broke it. Gaara smiled and claimed her lips with his again, never wanting the moment to end. Ino moaned, moving her hands back to his face and pulling him away. Gaara was puzzled.

"What is it?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Ino smiled, "It's..." She started, "I need some air." She said, laughing. Gaara laughed, moving his hands to her face, caressing her cheek. Ino closed her eyes and smiled at his touch. She leaned down, moving her nose right and left against his, making him chuckle. She leaned her forehead down to his, both enjoying the peaceful moment, both closing their eyes and sighing deeply, their chests moving in sync, their heartbeats as one.

Gaara opened his eyes and looked at Ino who was still relaxed at his touch. He smiled and kissed her cheek, moving his hands around her body and hugging her, pulling her down fully on him. She turned her head to the side and rested her head on his chest.

"Now _this_ is a lot nicer" He said, making Ino laugh. "We should come here more often; this would be like our own hideout, though it's not a hiding place because it's out there" he said, laughing. Ino chuckled, crossing her arms on his chest and leaned on them, smirking down at him. "That'll be a nice idea" she said, smiling. Gaara narrowed his eyes.

"You like this, don't you?" he said, chuckling. "You like to stop me from breathing" he said, pointing at his chest. Ino laughed.

"Nah, I would never do that," she said, smiling and leaning closer. "but I like this" she said, kissing him again. He kissed her back then broke the kiss.

"Ino," he started, "You definitely know how to take my breath away." He said, claiming her lips with his once more. Ino laughed and kissed him back, moving her fingers through his hair, not caring whether it would ruin his hairstyle or not. She just loved it.

The two continued with their making-out session; loving life to the fullest. If anyone saw them, they would tell they were extremely happy with each other

"That won't be for long. Hmmm" a certain blonde standing away from the two said, watching them with his eye scope. He turned around and walked away, deciding to call it a day.

* * *

**22nd chapter, done!**

**What do you guys think?**

Who is Deidara? Why does he have a sick personality in DaaNi's fiction? Why is he spying on Gaara and Ino? Where the hell is Anko, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma and the rest of the Jonins?

**Find out soon**….**NOT!!!**

**Please review…**


	24. Chapter 23: Betrayal

**Reviews: **

Midami Uchiha of the sand: I actually stopped watching Naruto on YouTube. I'm downloading the episodes now. But there's one thing. In my story, Gaara was never kidnapped, he still has Shukaku inside of him cuz I have an evil plan in my head. MUAHAHAHA!!

Mei: I'm glad you're enjoying it. I'll be writing more, stay tuned. ENJOY!

Itsumo Neko: I actually got the Cousin Idea from one of the forums. People said that they have the same hair style; they're both blonde and Deidara looks a bit girly, He-he. Enjoy this chapter, my dear.

The Great Daryl: and I give your review 15 thumbs up Looks at her fingers Yeah, LOL!!! Thanks and enjoy this chapter.

Kirri Kitty: WAAH! I already miss you, thank you and Kilulu for the review. Thank you and enjoy this chapter.

Bananamike: ha-ha, People are saying it's too long. I see that you reviewed on the 3rd chapter. Please continue with reading the rest of the chapter and tell me what you think. Thank you for your review and enjoy this chapter.

First of all, I'd like to apologize for the delay because I was having exams. I will be off school in June and I'll be spending more time on the stories. Thank you guys for your support, Enjoy this Chapter, everyone.

I'm thinking of finishing this story soon, though I don't want it to end but it's kind of taking too long, don't you think?

* * *

**Previously: **

_"Very well, Yamanaka Ino," he said, standing up, still watching the couple with his scope. "the time is near." He said, turning his attention towards Konoha's main gate, seeing that someone was entering the main gate. Deidara smirked._

_"He couldn't find a more perfect time to arrive to Konoha. Hmm." he said, laughing, before turning around and walking off._

_

* * *

_

_"I have been told that you're coming here. This morning, your brother told me about the letter you sent a couple of weeks ago. But you've come a bit too early, don't you think," she said, smiling. "Uchiha Itachi?"_

_

* * *

_

_The two continued with their making-out session; loving life to the fullest. If anyone saw them, they would tell they were extremely happy with each other_

_"That won't be for long. Hmmm" a certain blonde standing away from the two said, watching them with his eye scope. He turned around and walked away, deciding to call it a day._

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 23:**

He walked into the main entrance of the apartment building where Naruto and Sasuke lived. Climbing the stairs slowly, Itachi thought about his meeting with his younger brother.

It's been five years since they last spoke to each other, mainly because Itachi had some _unfinished Business_ he needed to take care off. He never told his brother about the reason he left, nor was he planning on telling him now.

He looked for apartment 25 at the top of the building; his chin-high collared, long sleeved black shirt clung to his body as the wind hit him from the front. Itachi slipped his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants. _'This building is way too high'_ he thought as he walked towards the only door on this floor.

Itachi sighed as he raised one of his hands to knock on the door a couple of times. A few seconds later, a blonde guy answered the door.

"Oh, Hello" Naruto greeted, "Wait a second," he said, studying the features of the man in front of him. _'He looks like Sasuke, same hair, same looks but, he's not Sasuke?! Hmmm'_ he thought as the dark-haired raised his hand to lower the collar a bit.

"Hello, Uzumaki Naruto!" he said, his deep voice differed from Sasuke's. Naruto smiled and nodded.

"You must be Sasuke's older brother. Itachi." Naruto said, taking a step to the side. "C'mon in, Sasuke's in the shower" Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. Itachi smiled and walked in, studying the apartment. He couldn't hide the fact that the apartment had a little too much of the color orange. Naruto waited for him to say something but he was tired of waiting.

"Have a seat; Sasuke takes a very long time in the shower, even longer than girls. I think it's something that has to do with the back of his hair. His style gives me the creeps" Naruto said, making Itachi chuckle.

"Thanks, but that's Sasuke for ya. Ever since he was a child, whenever he's done playing around, he'd jump in the bathtub" he said, looking around the apartment. Naruto chuckled but realized something.

"I thought you were coming in at most one more week" he said, crossing his arms. Itachi chuckled, "I decided to give him a surprise" Itachi said, putting his hands in his pockets. "I'm sure it's going to be a nice surprise" Naruto chuckled and looked down at his clothes, realizing that he was dressed in green pajama pants and a white/green pajama shirt that matched.

"Uh, If you'll excuse me, I'll go change" Naruto said, chuckling nervously, and ran towards his room. "Okay" Itachi simply said as his vision followed the 17 years old until the door was closed. He sighed and turned around, looking at a few pictures of Naruto, Sasuke and a couple of people who seemed to be his friends, hanging on the wall or standing on the chest in the living room. He smiled and continued with his observation until he heard the sound of a door, on the other side of the room, being unlocked.

"Naruto, did you answer the door or you fell asleep again?" Sasuke came out of the bathroom, wearing black baggy pants and a white dress shirt, leaving the top couple of buttons unbuttoned. He was drying his hair with a towel when he saw his brother standing there, a smile plastered on his face.

"I-Itachi" he stuttered, startled by the presence of his older brother. Itachi smiled and walked towards his little brother with a smile on his face.

"Hey, little bro," he said, stopping a few feet away from Sasuke who was surprised by his brother's presence. "surprise!" he said, extended his arms, expecting a hug from his little bro. Sasuke stood still, not moving a muscle, making Itachi move his arms back to his sides in disappointment.

"Is that how you welcome your brother after 5 years of separation?" he said, crossing his arms. Sasuke sniggered and walked towards the couch, throwing the towel on it before throwing himself on it as well.

"How come you chose to show up now? Why didn't you show up earlier?" he asked, making his brother turn his head to the side, not wanting to answer his brother's straight-forwarded question.

Sasuke smirked and nodded his head when his older brother refused to answer. Pushing himself up on his feet, Sasuke walked slowly towards his brother.

"I thought you promised mom and dad you'd take care of me. Isn't that what you've promised them? Or I think you've just forgotten since you have some, no wait, _lots_ of important things, more important than your own blood-"

"-Silence, Sasuke!" Itachi ordered his little brother, surprising the latter. Ever since they were children, their relationship was tight yet a bit complicated. Sasuke rarely disobeyed his brother, let alone yell back, which was something that irritated Sasuke. He never wanted to be known because of his brother nor did he want him to treat him like a kid, not anymore. The younger Uchiha let his eyes wander along the walls of the living room, not wanting his eyes to meet his brother's angry ones.

Itachi noticed his brother's anxiety and sighed heavily, "I'm sorry, Sasuke. I've been busy." he stopped, looking at his brother who was about to say something.

"With wha-"

"-With something you shouldn't know!" He said, turning around. Sasuke sighed heavily. "Something you wouldn't understand." Itachi continued, not giving his brother at least a vague clue about his whereabouts for the past few years or what he was doing.

Sasuke nodded and smirked, "And now you're back? You suddenly miss me?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes, making Itachi narrow his eyes back.

"I haven't been the greatest brother in the world, but I still promised my parents-"

"-_Our _parents", Sasuke said, stressing on the word. Itachi sighed and continued.

"I promised our parents that I'll be taking care of you so, here I am" he said, smiling. Sasuke smirked.

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm seventeen and I sure don't need your help anymore." He said, walking towards the apartment's door when his brother suddenly held his forearm, tightly, stopping him from moving. Itachi leaned to his brother's ear.

"Never, ever, walk away while I'm talking to you" he calmly said, sending shivers up the younger Uchiha's spine.

Sasuke, ignoring his older brother's threat, turned his face to face his brother's, narrowing his eyes, their dark-reddish eyes met.

"I don't care what you do, Itachi. I don't even care if you died, because to me," he said before glaring at his brother, "you are" he said, with much anger in his hoarse voice. Sasuke pulled his arm away from his brother's grip and walked towards the door.

"You'll regret this, Sasuke-kun" he mumbled, out of his younger brother's hearing range, as he watched his brother walk out of the door.

**In one of Konoha streets**

Naruto was walking down the street peacefully, looking around for a sign of both Sasuke and Itachi when he heard his name being called.

"Naruto!" Jiraiya yelled, still following Naruto around for stealing his notebook. He turned around to see a very angry Jiraiya. _'There's no way of running now, is there?'_ Naruto thought, smiling nervously while Jiraiya was growling like a predator at his prey.

"Where's my notebook?" he said, clutching Naruto's by the collar. Naruto gulped as this was the first time he saw Jiraiya this angry.

"I can't believe you still remember that day. It seems like ages ago." Naruto said, trying to free himself from Jiraiya's grip of anger.

"I'll say this one last time. Where in the world is my notebook?" he asked again, giving Naruto a chance to reply. The latter smirked.

"I sold it" he said, freeing himself from Jiraiya's grip and standing tall. Jiraiya gasped.

"YOU WHAT?!" he yelled, almost deafening Naruto who rubbed the inside of his ear with his index finger.

"Keep it down, old man. I sold it, so what?" he said, carelessly. Jiraiya shook his head.

"But it wasn't complete!"

"Don't you remember the time where I sold your story and it made the top charts? It was five years ago. Remember?" he said, waving his index finger in Jiraiya's face. The latter rubbed his chin.

"Hmmm, you're right. but still!"

"Don't worry, it'll be a success. Because I, Uzumaki Naruto, have the talent." He said, making a pistol move with his fingers at Jiraiya "I have to go, see ya" he said, running off, leaving Jiraiya dumbfounded.

A few minutes later, Naruto realized that he was as far as he could go away from Jiraiya. He turned around and chuckled,

"This is getting so much fun, he-he" he said, acting like the-11-year-old prankster he used to be. Naruto sighed and walked towards one of the juice stands.

"Hi, One Uzumaki Naruto Special, please" he said, receiving a nod from the guy behind the stand as he picked a cup to fill it with the mixture of juice Naruto has founded once. Naruto turned around and leaned on the counter, looking right and left at the people passing by, trying to find a hint of the Uchihas.

"Here ya go!" the man behind the stand said. Naruto turned around and picked the cup, giving him the money. "Thanks" he said, turning back around and leaning on the stand, now taking a sip from the juice.

"Lemonade and strawberry, please" a deep voice said, making Naruto turn to check who was its owner. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed guy looked at Naruto and smiled, nodding.

"Hey," he started, taking the juice from the guy and paying for it "good day, isn't it?" he continued, smiling. Naruto nodded back, "Yeah" he said, turning his attention back towards the passers-by. The blonde guy leaned next to Naruto, watching the people along with him.

"This tastes good, mmm." he said, taking a sip from his juice. Naruto looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, best juice in the whole village. I like to chill here if it was too hot" Naruto said, sipping from his Juice. The blonde guy laughed.

"Yeah, but it's not too hot in here though" he said, looking at Naruto and pausing for a second.

"Wait a minute, I know you" the blonde guy said, waving his index finger at Naruto, "Uzumaki Naruto, I presume" he said, smiling. Naruto knotted his eyebrows and chuckled.

"How do you know me?" he said, sipping from his juice. The blonde laughed, "Everyone knows the _Jinchuuriki_ of the _Kyuubi,_" he said, referring to him being the host of the nine-tailed demon fox. Naruto frowned and looked at the ground. The blonde looked at Naruto and smiled.

"but they also say you're one of a kind in this village" he said, taking a sip out of his Lemonade-strawberry juice. Naruto looked at him and chuckled, "Don't know about that, really" he said, looking at the ground before looking at the blonde guy. "It's embarrassing, you know my name but I don't know yours" Naruto said, raising a brow. The blonde laughed and looked at Naruto.

"Deidara," he said, nodding, "nice to finally meet you, Uzumaki" he said, moving his vision back to the street, and took a sip from his juice. Naruto looked at him and nodded, "Nice to meet you too, Deidara" he replied, also moving his vision towards the people passing by. Both stayed silent while finishing up their drinks.

"Well, it was nice meeting ya, Uzumaki. I have to go now" he said, extending his hand to shake Naruto's. The latter chuckled and shook Deidara's hand. "It was nice meeting you too, Deidara" he said, nodding.

Deidara nodded one last time and turned around, walking off. Naruto narrowed his eyes at the blonde who was walking away. _'I bet he's something. I couldn't sense him when he first showed up here'_ Naruto thought as he looked at the guy behind the counter. "Thanks for the juice" he said, waving his hand and walking off.

**In front of Yamanaka flowers shop **

"And then all of the sudden I was like 'Sakura, you can't take that, that's mine', and it flew out of our hands and splashed on the ground. Then Naruto showed up all energetic, with the floor being wet, and slid across the room and slammed into Neji. Neji fell into an awkward position with him," Ino laughed as she opened the door to the flower shop, telling Gaara about an incident that occurred the previous year. Gaara, not being used to funny situations, was laughing his head off.

"and you can picture someone as stern as Neji being laughed at. Ah, you should've been there!" she said, laughing, and walked behind the counter, putting on her white apron. Gaara chuckled as Ino kept on laughing, the laughter he loved to hear from her. At that moment, Gaara started to remember how his life was, before everything that happened to him in the past few years.

He remembered his life when he was a miserable child. He remembered how he changed from a cold-hearted monster to a caring, strong leader as a Kazekage. Gaara was definitely thankful for the change. He liked how people changed the way they felt about him. He liked how she felt about him, the girl he fell in love with.

_'Am I in love with you? Or is it just mixed feelings?'_ he thought, looking at the ground and spacing out.

"Gaara, are you still there?" she asked, waving her hand in front of his face before moving from behind the counter and to his side. Gaara looked at her, breaking out of his thoughts, and chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm still here, hopefully" he said, smiling. Ino rested her hands on her hips, tilting her head to the side.

"What were you thinking of?" she slyly asked, making him laugh and take a step closer to her.

"A certain beautiful blonde Kunoichi that managed to flip my world upside down." he said, smiling. Ino paused for a second, "I wonder who she is. Are you going to introduce me to her?" she asked, smiling. Gaara smirked, "I'll think about it" he said, chuckling. Ino laughed and looked at the ground, blushing.

"What made you think of me?" she asked, playing with the small belt on his grey vest as she took a step closer. Gaara moved his hands to her hips, leaning his face closer to hers.

"You know you're always on my mind, Ino-Chan" he said, making her smile. She always liked how he made her name sound beautiful when she always hated it.

Ino blushed and bit her bottom lip. Gaara, loving how Ino looked when she did that, couldn't help but to lean closer to close the gap between their lips, moving his hands to cup her face. As their lips met in a heavenly kiss, Ino moved her hands to his sides, clutching the sides of his shirt, pulling his body close to hers. They kissed for a couple of seconds before taking a breath. Ino moved her right hand to his chest, and then moved it up to the side of his neck. Gaara caressed her cheek and gave her a peck on the lips. As they both opened their eyes, her baby-blue eyes met his sea-foam green ones, both stood there, silently, for a moment. Both wishing to be somewhere else, doing something more than that.

Gaara smiled and kissed her again, deeply and passionately, while she replied with much love and passion. He pulled away and looked in her eyes.

"Ino" he said, giving her another peck on her lips, "I have some work to do. I promise I'll make it up for you later" he said, caressing her cheek. Ino shook her head and smiled, one hand clutching the side of his shirt while the other moved down to his chest and played with his grey vest.

"No, you've been spending a lot of time with me. Once you're done with whatever you're doing. We can spend as much time as we need together." She said, biting her bottom lip. Gaara chuckled and nodded, "Ok then" he said, looking at her lips and smiling. "You won't mind, will you?" he said, leaning closer. Ino grinned and shook her head as their lips met for one last kiss. She shivered as she kissed him back, noticing something different in his kiss. They both kissed deeply as Gaara licked her lips, making her give him the entrance to her mouth. Their tongues moved in sync, both fighting for dominant. Ino gave in and let him take control of the situation. Moving her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer, kissing him deeper. His hands went to her waist, moving up and down her sides. She gasped when she felt his right hand move under her shirt and to her belly button, caressing her stomach with his thumb. He broke the kiss, resting his forehead on hers.

"I-I have to go" he said, walking away. Ino blinked a couple of times, not comprehending what had happened in the last second. "Gaara!" she called, but he was already out the door.

"What happened?" she asked herself, biting her bottom lip. Ino sighed and walked slowly behind the counter, thinking about this whole situation. A few minutes ago they were making out in the park, and now he gave her this vague sign through the kiss. She wasn't sure what he felt. She wasn't even sure what _she _felt.

Ino touched her stomach, where he touched her. It was the first time she was touched by a guy, no, the first time she was touched by him.

_'Was he giving me the sign that he wants to move things along? Or did I do something that made him go away?'_ she thought, breathing heavily. Ino didn't know whether she wanted to move things along or go steady with him. She was actually feeling it was moving too fast. She didn't want to waste any moment of their time together yet she wanted to take it slow. Ino sighed and went behind the counter, sitting on the chair. She put her elbow on the table and leaned her chin on her closed fist.

"I don't know" she said, sighing heavily as she watched the clock over the door. It was already 9:30 am. Ino looked at the flowers, moving her vision towards a certain purple flower. She grimaced as her eyes watered, feeling a tight knot in her stomach and a pressure on her chest.

_'He doesn't hate me, does he?'_ she thought as she tried to prevent herself from crying, but she'd failed as a single tear strolled down her cheek, followed by a couple of other tears.

Ino touched her cheek, _'Why am I crying? It's not like it's over. God, I'm jumping into conclusions so quickly'_ she thought, sighing heavily. A couple of seconds later, the door to the shop was opened and she saw someone she didn't want to see.

A couple of blocks away, Gaara was walking further away from the flower shop, hands in his pockets. He looked at the ground and gently kicked a small stone that was in the way.

"Gaara!" he heard his name being called. He turned around to see Kenji, the young boy whom Gaara has met on his first day in Konoha. He smiled and nodded, "Hey, Kenji, it's been a while" he said, looking at the young boy who had a smile plastered on his face. "Yes, Gaara, and lots of things happened" the boy excitingly said, making Gaara chuckle.

"Really?" he replied, turning around to fully face the boy and crossed his arms. Kenji nodded, "Yes, mom bought me a bicycle and I have a new tooth, look" he said, showing Gaara his new tooth. Gaara laughed and kneeled down to be at the kid's level.

"That's great. I'm happy for you" he said, smiling. The boy nodded and then looked at Gaara with a serious look on his face. "What?" Gaara asked, noticing the boy's intense gaze. "Uh, you look like you have a thing on your mind!" he said, putting his hands behind his back.

Gaara chuckled and looked at the ground, "I guess you understand people by just looking at them" he said, smiling. Kenji nodded, rubbing the back of his neck "People say I got this from mother" he laughed, making Gaara laugh as well. "I have to go try out my new bicycle. See ya!" Kenji said, running off. Gaara smiled and stood up straight, looking at the ground.

_'Perhaps I should go back. I'm sure she feels guilty about me walking off like that and I don't want her to be'_ Gaara thought as he took the same way he came through to go back to Yamanaka Flower shop.

**Yamanaka Flower shop**

He walked in to the shop, surprising Ino. "Deidara" she mumbled, sighing heavily. He walked in with a smile, but it quickly turned into a frown once he saw her in tears.

"What's the matter, Ino?" he said, walking closer to the counter. "He didn't do anything to you, did he? I'm gonna kill him"

"He didn't do anything," she said, looking at the counter, "it was me." she said, wiping away her tears. "He hates me" she said, tears flooded down her cheek once more.

Deidara shook his head and walked to her side behind the counter, "If he hates you then he's a jerk" he said, walking closer to her. She didn't stop crying, instead, she pushed herself in his chest, sobbing her heart out. Deidara was surprised by her movement. A couple days ago she hated his guts and probably didn't want him to spend time with her and now there she was, crying her heart out in his arms.

"Ino, it's alright" he said, wrapping his arms around her. "Things like these happen between couples and if you want my opinion," he said, pulling her away, "I think you two were going too fast and that's what led to your break up" he said, nodding. Ino knotted her eyebrows.

"We didn't break up."

"Oh, he just happened to walk away without saying a word?" he said, raising an eyebrow. She looked at the ground and nodded slowly. He shook his head, "That's bad news there, Ino-Chan. I'm sorry." he said, pulling her closer in a hug. "I'm here for ya, and ya know that, mmm?" he said, looking at her. She looked up at him and nodded, her cheeks were pink and her eyes were puffed, making him laugh.

"Don't you look funny?" he said, chuckling, making her chuckle along with him. Deidara played with her hair, moving her stray strand of hair behind her ear, making her sigh deeply.

"It happens a lot, I mean, my hair" she said, looking up at him. He smiled and bit his bottom lip. "I like it" he bluntly said, before leaning closer and capturing her lips with his, catching her off guard. She tried to pull away but he was too strong for her, or perhaps she was too tired, physically and emotionally. The only thing that she could do is to give in.

Ino closed her eyes and gave in to his kiss as he moved his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. Ino unconsciously moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She kissed him back, not realizing what she was doing,

not noticing that Gaara was just outside the door, witnessing the whole scene.

* * *

**OH SHIT!! CLIFFHANGER!!! **

**I hope you liked this chapter, please tell me what you think. Cuz I had a brainwave about that last scene at the last moment and I liked the Idea. What's going to happen? You'll have to wait. Please review!**


	25. Chapter 24: Suna

**Reviews**: (not so many DX)

Kirri Kitty: Yeah, BUT, if you read the story well, you would've noticed that Deidara is a distant relative, not her "COUSIN" relative. She just calls him that because it's easier for her to introduce him to people that way. Plus, you'll find out the truth about Deidara soon.

**Chapter 24 is coming right up. Sorry for the delay, finished this up last night but wouldn't let me upload it for some reason **

**ENJOY! **

_'Italic'_ - thoughts

'_Italic_ within normal speech' - stressing on a word/fact.

"Normal" - speech.

**_'Italic and bold'_** - inner voices

* * *

Previously: 

_Ino closed her eyes and gave in to his kiss as he moved his hands around her waist, pulling her closer. Ino unconsciously moved her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. She kissed him back, not realizing what she was doing,_

_not noticing that Gaara was just outside the door, witnessing the whole scene._

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 24: **

Gaara gritted his teeth as he watched his girlfriend kiss her so-called _distant relative._

Ino was still kissing Deidara when she realized what she was doing. She pushed him away, taking a couple of steps back herself. Deidara was startled and shook his head.

"What? What's wrong?" he said, tossing his head to the side, moving his hair off of his face, yet making sure his left eye wouldn't be visible to her. Ino panted and shook her head.

"We can't do this!" she said, turning around to avoid looking at him. Deidara chuckled.

"And why is that?" he said, crossing his arms. Ino turned around and threw her arms in the air. "Because we're cousins, that's why!" Ino yelled, crossing her arms as well. Deidara chuckled, raising his index finger and shaking it, correcting her statement.

"_Distant relatives_, not cousins. There's a _big_ difference" he said, raising his eyebrows. Ino groaned. "That's not the point!" she said, pausing for a minute. She turned her head towards the glass front of the shop, feeling someone's gaze upon her.

**Outside **

Gaara managed to move out of her vision as soon as she looked at him, _'Ino, why?'_ he thought, closing his eyes and leaning his head back at the wall.

**_'Distant relative? Stupid Gaara. You believed her. That was probably a lie to hide the fact that she was cheating on you.'_**

The voice in his head said, making Gaara close his fists so tight that his knuckles turned white. He opened his eyes once he heard that voice again.

**_'She's like everybody else, a liar. No body likes you, Gaara. Only I can be your friend.'_** Gaara narrowed his eyes. He decided to agree with that voice and turned his head to the side, squeezing his eyes shut before walking away.

**Inside **

Ino narrowed her eyes when she saw nothing out of the ordinary. Deidara was saying something when she turned her head to face him.

"What?" she asked, not paying attention to what he said. Deidara sighed, "What I'm saying is that we're distant relatives and that won't affect the whole situation. It's not like we're brother and sister, not like we're from the same blood!" he said, before going on quickly with his next sentence, "We can have this if we want to haー"

"ーNo we can't!" she yelled, cutting his sentence. Deidara raised his left eyebrow. "Give me one good reason we can't have this" he said, talking about their relationship together. Ino narrowed her eyes and shook her head with a smile, almost a smirk on her face

"I have a boyfriend and I should beー"

"Who, the Suna kid?" he said, widening his eyes, "Tell me you're kidding. You're serious with him?" he said, chuckling ironically. Ino shook her head, ignoring what he's just said, and walked in front of the counter. Deidara called her back.

"Hey, where are you going?" he asked, slamming his hands on the counter. Ino turned around, shockingly looking at his hands before moving his vision towards his eyes, shuddering.

"I'm going to see Gaara, my _boyfriend_" She said, jerking the door open before storming out. Deidara sighed and leaned on the counter.

"This is going just like I expected" he said, chuckling, before his chuckles turned into an evil, psychotic laughter.

**Shimabukuro restaurant**

Lee looked up at the almost reconstructed building, wiping the sweat off of his forehead, sighing heavily.

"Carrying almost a ton of wood is certainly the best practice anyone could ever ask for" he told himself, resting his fists on his slim waist. Though he wondered what Shimabukuro-san would do with a ton of wood. Lee shook his head and chuckled. A tap on his shoulder made him turn around. He smiled when he saw none other than Ishikawa Kagome, smiling at him, holding a picnic basket in her left arm.

"Good morning!" she cheerfully said, smiling. Lee raised his eyebrows, smiling back, "Good morning to you too, Kagome-san" he said, nodding respectfully before rubbing the back of his head. He might've known this girl for a couple of days now, but Lee still felt nervous around new people, especially girls with nice personalities.

"How's everything with that?" she said, nodding towards the building. Lee turned around and waved his hand in the direction of the building.

"Oh, that." he said, sighing heavily, "It might take longer than I thought, but surely less than Shimabukuro-san calculated" he said, his tone changing into an optimistic one.

Kagome chuckled, "Well, good for you, Lee-san" she said, smiling. Lee looked at the ground, "Please, just call me Lee. Drop the formalities" he said, chuckling. She raised an eyebrow, "Not unless you call me Kagome, without the title" she said, chuckling as well. A silent minute has passed; none of them said a word.

Kagome looked at Lee and smiled, "Well, I've been hearing that you're working from the break of dawn till sunset, straight, so I brought you this." she said, handing over the basket. "I figured you'd be working for quite a long time, so I made you some sandwiches. You might get hungry and not be able to go buy something for yourself" she said, smiling sincerely at him.

"I do hope you like them!"

Lee was surprised; it was the first time a girl bothered to make some sandwiches for him. He blinked a couple of times before smiling and extending his arm, taking the basket.

"Kagome," he said, smiling, "you didn't have to bother yourself with this." he said, pointing at the basket. She shook her head, "I wasn't bothered at all. I actually had fun. I like making sandwiches" She chuckled like a child. Lee smiled yet sighed after that, making her knot her eyebrows, tilting her head to the side.

"What is it?" she asked, biting her bottom lip. _'I shouldn't have done this! he'll think I'm some kind of a stalker'_ she thought as she saw him lifting his vision slowly from the basket to look into her eyes.

"I am the one who's supposed to bring YOU things" he said, chuckling. Kagome didn't quite get it until he pointed at her head. "Since I'm the one who hurt you back then" Kagome chuckled at his statement. "I can't even remember that" she said, laughing. _'Of course, Baka, You were hit in the head, remember?'_ Kagome thought behind, what Lee thought was, a cute smile.

"How's your head?" Lee asked, pouting his bottom lip. Kagome chuckled, blushing. "Um, good, I think" She said before looking at the watch on her wrist.

"Oh, darn, will you look at that? I have to go" she said, grinning and turning around to walk off.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, succeeding in stopping her. A light breeze blew from the side as Kagome turned around slowly and put her usual smile on her face. Her long black hair was swinging along with her light green & pink dress; a scene which made Lee space out for a second at.

"What is it?" she said, breaking his string of thoughts. Lee blinked a couple of times, "Uh, well, I was thinking," he said, looking at the big picnic basket in his arms. "this is quite huge and I wouldn't be able to finish it up on my own" he said. A light pink color appeared on his cheeks, as bright as the sun. Kagome smiled, knowing where this was going.

"I was thinking, maybe, just maybe, you would like to share it with me? I mean, I know you have to go but I won't be finishing my shift until later. Maybe you and I could hang out, get to know each other and ー"

"LEE!" someone yelled, breaking Lee's sentence. He turned around to see an angry Shimabukuro; his oversized belly was bigger than ever and his mustache covered most of his mouth. His bald head shone in the sun. "Get back to work and deal with your personal life later!" he yelled, walking inside. Lee sighed and turned to face Kagome who was still waiting for him to finish.

"Uh, where was I?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. Kagome laughed and put her hands behind her back, biting her bottom lip. "You were in the middle of asking me out" she said, smiling and blushing. Lee nodded and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, soーwhat?!" he said, realizing that she called his_ small speech_ an attempt of _asking her out_. Lee paused for a minute, causing Kagome to panic.

"Oh! I got the wrong picture, didn't I?" she said, covering her mouth. "You weren't trying to ask me out, I'm so sorry, I should've thought about my words before saying them out…"

"…Kagome…"

"…and now you'll think I'm a big stalker because I said that and because I brought you the big basket…"

"…Kagome…"

"… and you'll never speak to me again and Iー"

"ーKAGOME!" Lee yelled, frustratingly, stopping her from her panic attack. Kagome blinked a couple of times, gulping. She noticed Lee's smile, making her calm down and smile as well.

"I _was_ trying to ask you out!" he said, chuckling, looking at the ground. Kagome paused for a minute, _'Was I just asked out? Oh Kami-sama!'_ she thought, blinking a couple of times. Lee saw that she didn't reply so he nodded.

"Ok, I see, then." He said, with a hint of disappointment in his voice, "You were going somewhere, weren't you? I don't want to keep you from doing what you were planning to do" he said, smiling. "Thanks for the basket!" he said, turning around and walking off, leaving Kagome with a small smile on her lips which grew wider as soon as she knew what to say.

"I'll see ya at 5, Lee-kun" she said, smiling sincerely. Lee turned around and their eyes met. His lips curved into a big smile, his eyes sparkling like a small child. Kagome nodded and walked off. He kept watching her until she became a small figure in the distance. Lee closed his eyes and clenched his fist, suddenly throwing it in the air and yelling on top of his lungs.

"LONG LIVE THE POWER OF YOUTH!" he yelled, being the same good ol' Lee.

"LEE, GET YOUR BUTT BACK TO WORK!" Shimabukuro yelled from inside, breaking Lee's inspirational moment. He sighed and walked inside, the basket in hand.

**Hokage's building…**

Temari walked towards her one-year-younger brother's room, tying the light blue sash around her slender waist to hold the black kimono she usual wore in place. She was going out to practice, since it's been a while since they've arrived to Konoha and ever since, she's been eating out with Shikamaru.

"I must've gained a lot of weight. That cute bastard is going to pay" she said with a smile on her face. As soon as she reached Kankurou's room, she raised her fist, banging on the door loudly.

"C'mon, you fat lazy ー" the door suddenly opened.

"ー would you be quiet?" Kankurou said, looking as bored as ever. "Damn, you're so noisy" he said, closing the door behind him. "What do you want?" he asked, crossing his arms. Temari reached her hand back and touched the tip of her fan, narrowing her eyes.

"First of all, if you don't treat me with respecty in the next couple of minutes, I won't even let you see the first star," she said, referring to the three stars on her fan. Kankurou smirked, "and secondly, we're going to practice" she said, moving her hand back in front of her, and crossed her arms. Kankurou raised an eyebrow.

"WE? You mean you and Gaara?" he said, taking a couple of steps, walking away, making his sister follow him. "Nah, by 'we' I meant you and I" she said, smiling evilly and nudging her brother. "Besides, I haven't seen Gaara since this morning, God knows where he went" she said, narrowing her eyes, thinking about where her brother could've gone to. Kankurou chuckled, making his sister glare at him.

"What?" she asked, looking at her brother who was now chuckling, "He's out with Ino, his girlfriend" he said, wiggling his eyebrows at his sister, "I can tell he's in 'L.O.V.E.' with her" he said, spelling the letters and making quotation marks with his fingers. Temari sighed heavily, shaking her head.

"Grow up, Kankurou. Besides, it's his business ifー" she said, stopping in the middle of her sentence. She also stopped walking, looking at the main entrance of the building. Kankurou narrowed his eyes at his sister, noticing the horrified expression on her face.

"Ka-Kankurou…" she said, pointing at the door. he turned his head slowly to see a scene he's never seen before, well, he's never seen in a couple of years now.

**Somewhere near the building…**

Ino was walking slowly, making her way towards the building when she spotted someone who seemed to be Gaara from a long distance, walking inside the Hokage building. She stopped, biting her bottom lip. _'What I did was horrible. What was I thinking?'_ she thought, narrowing her eyes. _'If he knew, he'll be very upset'_ she thought, looking up and taking a deep breath before releasing it.

"Deidara" she mumbled, grimacing at the thought of him. Ino shook her head, getting Deidara's image out of her head before making her way towards the Hokage building, where the _Suna no shinobi_ were staying.

A couple of minutes later, Ino walked into the building to see Kankurou and Temari, not exactly how she thought she'd see them. She froze in her place, shocked of what she's seen.

Both Temari and Kankurou were on the ground, Kankurou was struggling to get up while his sister was looking at Ino while lying on the ground, shockingly.

Ino gasped and ran towards the two of them, helping Temari up on her own two feet, putting Temari's arm around her shoulder and her own arm behind her back while Kankurou managed to get up on his own.

"What in the world happened here?" she said, looking at the ground to notice something. Her feet almost slipped at the light brown gritty granular material. Her breath was caught in her throat, her eyes widened. "Sand?" she mumbled, raising her head to look at Kankurou who was looking away.

"What happened here?" she said, looking at the sand sibling who showed no emotion on their faces. Kankurou opened his mouth to speak up.

"It's Gaara," he said, looking at Ino, "he's changed."

**Hyuuga residence...**

Hinata took one last look at herself in the mirror, wearing a black mandarin-collar top and a knee length pink skirt and pink sandals, Letting her hair loose, two pink clips on the sides of her hair, holding up a few strands.

"Now I'm done" she said, smiling at herself before walking out of her room and down the stairs.

Once she came down the stairs, she saw her cousin sitting on the couch of their living room/Library, dressed in his usual white and grayish-green Hyuuga uniform, reading a book about, what Hinata could read on the cover, _The Hyuuga History_. Awkward enough, he was wearing glasses. Neji didn't pay attention at the staring Hinata.

"Neji-nii-chan, since when do you wear glasses?" she said, startling him. He quickly took off his glasses and shoved them in the book, closing it. He could almost hear the sound of the glasses being broken, making him flinch.

"Hinata, how long have you been standing there?" he asked, gulping. Hinata blinked a couple of times before chuckling, "Long enough. I'm going out" she said, waving her hand and walking off. Neji sighed, "Hinata!" he called her back, making her stop and turn around.

"Yes, I won't tell anyone about the glasses, especially Tenten. Got the lesson!" she said, winking at her cousin before walking off. As soon as she was gone, Neji chuckled, shaking his head. "I wasn't going to say that, but that would also work" he said, opening the book to find that his glasses were broken beyond fixing. Neji sighed, taking the glasses out of the book with his right hand and closing the book with his left.

"Ah, well, I guess reading time is over." He said, getting up with the book in hand. Neji walked towards one of the shelves and put the book back in its place, sighing as he looked at his broken glasses.

He chuckled, walking towards the trash bin in the same room, throwing the glasses in it. _'No need for them anyways. I can't believe Hiashi-sama convinced me to wear these'_ he thought, remembering his uncle's words:

_'You should wear glasses from now on, to relax your eyes from time to time. Otherwise, you'll be left with bad eyesight and won't be good for activating Byakugan'_

Neji chuckled, shaking his head. He took his uncle's advice for a couple of months now, but he was getting bored with it. _'Too bored, as a matter of fact'_ he thought, looking at the ground.

"I wonder if Tsunade-sama has some missions. It's been quiet for some time now" he said, not that it wasn't a good thing; he felt that it was a situation similar to 'the calm before the storm'. Neji shook his head, walking towards the main door of the Hyuuga residence, and out of the territory.

**Hokage building**

Ino froze in her place after hearing Kankurou's words, "Gaara? Changed?" she repeated, "What do you mean by changed?" she asked, knotting her eyebrows. Temari leaned off of Ino's shoulder and braced herself against the wall.

"You know about Shukaku, don't you?" she asked, receiving a nod from the blonde, "I've heard about him." she said, grimacing about the fact that a monster was sealed inside of Gaara, _'Just like Naruto's Kyuubi Kitsune'_ she thought. Kankurou decided to carry on.

"A couple of years ago, they successfully managed to extract him out of Gaara. But," he said, looking at the ground. "But what?" Ino asked, throwing her hand to the side. Kankurou looked up at her.

"They said that there's a very small part of Shukaku that was connected with Gaara's personality, any attempt of trying to extract it would lead to Gaara's demise, so we told Gaara the fact. And he agreed on trying to control it instead of extracting it" he said, narrowing his eyes.

Temari looked at the ground, at the sand, "Apparently, it's back. It took control over Gaara." she said, remembering the events a moment ago; how their brother changed back to _what_ he was. Ino looked at the sand, spread across the ground. "Then, what happened here?" she asked, worriedly. Temari and Kankurou exchanged looks before they decided to tell Ino what happened.

_Flashback_

_"Ka-Kankurou!" she said, pointing at the door. he turned his head slowly to see a scene he's never seen before, well, he's never seen in a couple of years now. _

_Kankurou gasped. His breath was caught in his throat as he saw his younger brother walk inside the building, looking at the ground. Both Kankurou & Temari noticed the great amount of sand flying out of the gourd, swirling all around him as he walked. Stopping in the middle of his tracks, Gaara moved his vision towards his siblings. Both of them froze as they saw the expression on his face; that dark look in his eyes. They almost froze at his cold intense gaze at them. Kankurou took a step forward. _

_"Gaara, what's going on?!" Kankurou spat out, making Gaara smirk evilly at them. He raised his head, keeping his eyes on the two. _

_"Get out of my way." He calmly said, tightening his fists. The sand was twirling faster around him. Kankurou gulped, blinking a couple of times. "No, not until you tell me what's wrong!" he yelled, trying to stop his brother from whatever was on his mind. _

_Gaara narrowed his eyes, his face went pale and his stare went colder. His lips curved into a disgusted expression. "I don't like to repeat myself." He said, increasing the sand's speed. Temari took a step closer, helping her brother in stopping their younger sibling. _

_"Gaara, please calm down, please tell us wh__atー__" _

_"SILENCE!!" He said in a deep, monstrous tone; Temari almost froze in fear, their demons came back to haunt them again. She never thought she'd see the day when Gaara, the dark, psychotic killer was back. Gaara thrust his palm at them, ordering his sand to move towards his siblings. _

_Temari reacted fast and took her fan off of her back,_ _"Kamaitachi no Jutsu" she yelled, waving her fan towards her brother, creating a small slicing tornado. She smirked, 'No one managed to dodge this attack' she thought, but her thoughts weren't exactly applied in this situation. _

_The sand split in two; half of the amount protected its owner from being hit. The other half dodged the attack, catching both her and Kankurou off guard. The sand moved at an incredible speed, swirling around the siblings. _

_Kankurou's eyes widened as he found himself trapped in his brother's sand coffin. Temari tried to scream, but his sand covered her fully, preventing her from moving, or breathing. _

_"TEMARI!" Kankurou yelled, trying to get any sign from his sister that she was still alive. He got paranoid when she wasn't moving. He turned to face his younger brother, but he didn't find him. _

_"Gaara!!' he screamed, noticing his brother walking past them and into his room. Once he slammed the door shut, the sand got deactivated and both of them were released on the ground, both lying down in shock. _

_"T-Temari" Kankurou said, looking at his sister who wasn't moving. Kankurou pushed himself up and looked at his sister, 'Please, don't be dead, Temari' he secretly prayed as he leaned over his sister's limp body. _

_"I'm fine, I-I'm just shocked" she said, trying to turn her head at her brother when she noticed someone at the door way. _

_Ino walked into the building to see Kankurou and Temari, not exactly how she thought she'd see them. She froze in her place, shocked of what she's seen. _

_End flashback_

Ino froze in place, hearing the shocking news from the siblings. Both of them looked at the ground, fearing yet worrying about their brother. Ino shook her head, narrowing her eyes, and looked at the sand sibling.

"Why was he acting like this? It's not like Gaara" she said, remembering that a couple hours ago, she was in the park with him, spending the time of their lives. Temari sighed, resting her head on the wall, still bracing herself. Kankurou shook his head, "I don't know. We've never thought Shukaku could be back" he said, looking at his brother's door way. Ino looked around for the building was dead quiet.

"Where's everybody? From what you've said, everyone should've been here" Ino said, looking at the two. Kankurou took of his hat and ruffled his hair. "I don't know. All I know that Gaara managed to do all this without making a fuss" he said, sighing heavily, and rested his hands on his knees. Ino lifted her vision from Kankurou's leaning figure towards the closed door, walking past the siblings and towards Gaara's room. Temari noticed her but couldn't move. Her body was too exhausted to do that.

"Ino, where are you going?" she asked, making Kankurou look behind him and at Ino. She turned her head sharply at them, "If anyone is going to stop Gaara, it's better be me" she said, moving her hand towards the door knob.

"Be careful," Temari said, leaning off of the wall but struggled to stand on her own. Kankurou rushed to brace her. "he's not the Gaara that we know," she said, narrowing her eyes. "not the Gaara that you know" she continued. Ino could notice the hint of tears in her eyes.

"I will" Ino firmly said, moving her hand towards the door knob. It was trembling like crazy, causing her to close her hand and tighten her grip, breathing deeply. Ino reached for the door knob and turned it, opening the door fully.

She stepped into the bright room. The curtain of the window behind the desk was opened; the desk's chair was turned to face the window. Ino could see Gaara's hair; he was sitting on the chair. Sand was all over the place; the floor, the walls, and the desk were all covered. She looked at the desk to see the vase broken, the purple flower tossed on the ground, torn and apparently stepped on. Ino grimaced.

"Gaara." she whispered, but stopped as soon as she saw the chair turn around to reveal Gaara, no, that wasn't Gaara. What Ino saw in his eyes wasn't what she'd seen earlier.

The brightness in his eyes, his sincere smiles, his bright face, it was all gone, replaced by an angry expression, cold and dark eyes, and that smirk on his face. He stood up, raising his head, looking patronizingly at Ino.

"What are you doing here?" he quietly asked, in the tone Ino always loved to hear from him. Ino opened her mouth to speak, when suddenly, the sand shot across the room, closing the door and the curtains; closing every source of light in the room. His desk shook, the lights trembled on the stands before crashing on the ground. Ino could almost feel the ground shake beneath her as she tried to brace herself.

"Gaara, what the hell are you doing?! Why are you doing this?!" she said, falling on her knees. Gaara stood still behind his desk. Ino looked around; the new layer of sand was covering everything, the cupboard, the walls, the desk, the floor. Ino noticed that the sand was creeping closer to her. She crawled back, pushing herself against the door. She could feel the door being banged on. The muffled voices of Temari and Kankurou were heard.

"INO, GET OUT OF THERE!" Ino could hear Kankurou yell. She turned her head to the side, and then turned it back to see Gaara walking slowly towards her, with a bloodthirsty grin on his face.

"Gaara!" she pleaded, her eyes watering. Ino has never felt that fear before, the feeling of being violated, the feeling of being in danger, threatened by the one you love.

"STOP THIS!" she said, tears strolling down her cheeks. Despite her tears, despite her pleadings, Gaara didn't stop; the sand still crawled towards her, holding her ankles. Ino shrieked, shaking the sand off of her legs but of no use. Gaara chuckled.

"You won't run away from me, Ino" he said, taking a couple of steps before stopping in front of her. Ino looked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"What happened to you, Gaara?!" she yelled, but she soon was silenced once he held her by the neck, lifting her to his level. She started gagging as his grip choked her.

"You lied to me when I trusted you the most," he whispered, leaning closer to her. "when I gave you my heart, youー" he said, looking at the ground, his tears hitting the ground. Then suddenly, he looked up, his evil smirk was back.

"_He_ gave you _his_ heart. You stepped on it, and for that. I'll kill you" he yelled, his voice deeper than usual, echoing across the room. Ino could tell that wasn't his voice, that wasn't Gaara who was talking to her.

Gaara threw her across the room. Ino hit the wall with a loud thump, falling face down on the ground, coughing a couple of times. Ino touched her bruised neck, struggling to look up at him; He stood there with a hurt expression. Ino could notice a hint of tears in his eyes, but they quickly disappeared as he raised his hand and rubbed his eyes, and then looked at her.

Ino was in tears, shocked of his actions. She braced herself against the wall, looking at her boyfriend.

_'He's not my boyfriend anymore, I don't know who that is' _she thought as Gaara raised his palm in her face. The sand accumulated behind him in one big tornado-like figure, smirking at her.

"Sabaku Kyū" he whispered, sending the sands across the room, past him and onto Ino. She gasped as the sands crept up her body, surrounding her with a coffin of sand. Ino started to loose her sense of her surroundings. The banging on the door started to fade; his scary image was the last thing she thought she'd ever see. Gaara smirked. Ino knew what was coming, she knew it. He only had to say two words, the two words that would end her life.

"Sabaku Sōsō!" he yelled, closing his fist.

* * *

**AH!** **CLIFFIE!!** **How** **I** **adore** **them!** **(ONLY** **in** **my** **story)** **Nyahahahaha!**

**I didn't think I would do that last part. But the story was too fluffy and I had to get Gaara out of the OOC status…and I decided it would add some more suspense to the story **

**What happened to Gaara? Will Ino die? What was Deidara's plan from the beginning? Why is Itachi in town? And where the hell is Kakashi? **

**Find out, eh, soon. Please** **review!!**


	26. Chapter 25: the voice within

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed. My internet is a bit off and I couldn't see your reviews so I'll reply to them later.**

* * *

Previously… 

_Ino knew what was coming, she knew it. He only had to say two words, the two words that would end her life._

_"Sabaku Sōsō!" he yelled, closing his fist._

* * *

**Please remember, chapter 25 **

"Sabaku Sōsō!" he yelled, closing his fist. Ino closed her eyes, knowing that she would be crushed; she would be torn to pieces. She remembered the guy that confronted Gaara during the Chuunin exams, the one who was torn to pieces by this move. She felt the sand's pressure on her body, squeezing harder and harder, she screamed bloody murder, feeling the bones of her body at the verge of breaking apart. At that moment, she knew she would be crushed. There was no turning back.

Suddenly, it all stopped.

Ino opened one eye, before opening the other. She wondered why Gaara hadn't killed her yet. She saw him, standing still with his eyes wide open. His fist was half closed and the sand hadn't closed in fully on her.

"Hakke Kūshou!"

Ino looked at the scene to see some kind of an invisible force, and in a second, Gaara flew across the room. His body was covered with a layer of sand before hitting the desk, falling behind it. She gasped as she looked through the dust to see Shikamaru, still in control of Gaara, and Neji nodding at her.

"S-Shikamaru! Neji!" she yelled, tears strolling down her cheeks. She noticed the seal Shikamaru had made, the seal of his famous Jutsu.

"Kagemane no jutsu: succeeded" he said, chuckling. Neji turned his head towards the redhead to see him standing up on his two feet still, gulping and looking at Ino straight in the eye. His face was cracked, as if he was made out of sand or clay. Gaara's technique had lost its effect on Ino the moment he was hit so she dropped to the ground in pain, her body bleeding in several places. Temari and Kankurou went inside the room, the blonde Suna Kunoichi was panting.

"Neji managed to get here in time. Luckily for us, Shikamaru was—" she groaned, falling to the ground. Kankurou kneeled next to his sister, helping her.

"We're sorry we're late, Ino" Kankurou said, helping his sister up. Shikamaru was looking at his girlfriend worriedly.

"Kankurou, take them both out to safety" Shikamaru yelled. Kankurou nodded at Neji to help him out, letting go of his sister for the second Neji walked towards her, helping her up before leaving the room in a flash while Kankurou was running towards Ino. She looked at him, knotting her eyebrows.

"C'mon, Ino, we're leaving" he said, helping her up, his hand grabbing her right arm. Ino snatched her arm out of his grip as her other arm made her scream in pain, falling on her knees, making Kankurou curse. _'Man, I think it's broken'_ he thought as he saw Ino trying to standing up, holding her left arm. Her face was paler and she was sweating as her eyes kept narrowed from the pain. She inhaled sharply through her gritted teeth. Kankurou shook his head as he kneeled and held her right arm softly.

"Ino, we have to go—"

"—NO! I want to stay. That's not Gaara, and I want him back!" she yelled, pointing at Gaara who stood still in his place, looking at her with a blank expression on his cracked, sand-leaking face.

"No! It's too dangerous" he said, pulling her up on her own two feet. Ino shook her head, trying to snatch her arm out of his grip.

"Let me go!"

Shikamaru struggled to keep Gaara in place. A drop of sweat strolled down his forehead, down the side of his head and towards his chin, dropping on the ground. The Chakura emitting from Gaara was a hundred times stronger than Shikamaru's, the reason which made the latter refuse to give up.

"There isn't much time, Ino. I can't get a grip on him much longer!" Shikamaru said, his hands shaking out of their calm status. Neji came back to the room and took his stance.

"You have to go, Ino!" Shikamaru repeated, seeing the look on his friend and team-mate. The way she looked at Gaara. The expression on her face was a mix of fear, anger and worry. Ino turned her head towards her friend as he repeated his words, as soon as he opened his mouth to speak. Something happened, something they definitely didn't expect.

"Get out of here," everyone paused at the calm voice as they turned their heads towards the source, "Ino-chan"

Ino knew that voice belonged to Gaara; the Gaara she knew and loved. She looked at him with a hint of hope in her eyes.

Gaara looked back at Ino, but not the way she hoped for. He had a smirk on his face. "You'd better leave, if you don't want to witness your friends' demise" he said, chuckling psychotically. Ino cried, not because of his words, but because of whom he's become, of _what_ he's become.

"Gaara, please—"

"—Shut up!" he silenced her, looking at her patronizingly, making Both Neji and Shikamaru boil with anger. "What you've done was unforgivable! You lied to me about him!"

"About who!?" she yelled, crying harder. Kankurou had to literally carry her out. Ino tried her best to stay in the place, but Kankurou was stronger than her, yet she was wriggling out of his grip, despite her broken arm. Eventually, he had to put her down.

"Who are you talking about, Gaara?" she asked, looking at Gaara who was calmly looking at her with a twisted smile on his face.

"Deidara," he said, looking at her with the corner of his eyes. Ino froze, widening her eyes. "You shouldn't have lied to me about the truth. If you really meant every word you've said to me, you would've told me the truth" he went on, a hint of pain in his eyes forced him to look away.

She knew, she knew he was there, she knew he saw her with him. He witnessed the whole scene.

"G-Gaara!" she said, pleading for him to look at her but no avail. He refused to even look at her with the corner of his eye, instead, he moved his vision towards his brother, then at the Hyuuga and then at Shikamaru. Gaara smirked as he saw that the Nara couldn't hold on much longer.

Shikamaru gritted his teeth. He was nearing his limit. "Ino, get out!" he yelled, releasing Gaara from his technique. Yet the redhead didn't move. He slowly crossed his arms and turned to face his blonde girlfriend.

"I despise liars." he said, raising his eyebrow. "You, Ino, are one of them" he said, disappearing into a puff of smoke, taking every grain of sand along with him. Ino looked at the empty space where Gaara stood, a single tear strolling down her cheek.

A minute of silence passed, none of the four in the room moved. "H-He's gone" Ino stuttered, falling on her knees. Kankurou leaned on the wall, shaking his head. Neji looked at Shikamaru who was kneeling on the ground, looking at the desk, at what Gaara was standing behind.

"What did he mean by that, Ino?" he said, turning his head towards his blonde friend. Ino shook her head in disbelief; words wouldn't come out of her mouth. Her head was spinning and her eyelids felt heavy. She closed her eyes, and fell forward.

"Ino!" all three yelled, running towards her. Kankurou managed to break her fall by holding her shoulders. Neji kneeled, putting his fingers on her neck.

"We have to get her to the medical center" he said, figuring it out from her slow-paced pulse. Shikamaru sighed and crossed his arms. Kankurou decided to carry Ino to the hospital. He lifted her in his arms, making sure her broken left arm is in a comfortable position, and all three walked towards the door when Tsunade walked in.

"What in the world happened here?!" Tsunade's strong and loud voice said, stopping all three in their tracks. Kankurou looked at Ino's unconscious body, making Tsunade knot her eyebrows.

"What happened to her?!" she looked at Neji and Shikamaru, surprised they were both there. "Neji. Shikamaru." she mumbled, they both looked up at her, having serious expressions on their faces. Tsunade knew.

_'Something big happened'_ she thought, clinching her fists. "Kankurou, please take Ino to the infirmary" she said, receiving a nod from the Suna Shinobi as he quickly moved out of the room. Tsunade moved her vision to the two Konoha shinobi.

"Both of you. My office. NOW!" she said, turning her back at them, walking off. Both Neji and Shikamaru exchanged looks before following her.

**Tsunade's office, a couple of minutes later…**

"What did you say?!" Tsuande said, slamming her fist against the desk. "Are you telling me that we have a threat on Konoha? From the Sand shinobi, our allies?!" she said, gritting her teeth. Neji looked at her firmly and nodded.

"We tried to stop him, but he managed to flee before we were able to do anything" he explained, breathing deeply. Shikamaru nodded in agreement.

Tsunade leaned her elbows on the table, intertwined her fingers and rested them in front of her mouth, closing her eyes to think. Shikamaru and Neji looked at each other, knowing that Tsunade would order something once she's done thinking.

"Shikamaru, Neji," she said, opening her eyes. "this is a dangerous situation. I want you to gather as much Shinobi as you can to bring him down!" she said, looking disappointed. "Even if he's one of our allies, we must do what we can to stop him from destroying us, from destroying himself" she said, sighing heavily. "You're dismissed"

Both of Shikamaru and Neji bowed before walking off. As Neji reached to open the door, Shikamaru spoke up.

"Tsunade-sama," he said, looking at the ground, knotting his eyebrows. "there's something that Gaara mentioned that I don't think we should miss." he said, looking at Tsunade with a firm look. She narrowed her eyes, nodding as to let him continued.

"He mentioned something about Deidara. He's Ino's relative who lives with her. Apparently, He, Gaara and Ino encountered each other at some point, resulting Gaara's sudden defection against his siblings and us. I thought it would be an important statement" He said, clinching his fists.

_'I won't forgive him for hurting Temari and Ino, I swear, I'll get my hands on you, Gaara. Just wait.'_ Shikamaru thought. Neji noticed his fists were shaking in anger. _'I would feel the same way as you if there was a threat on the people I love, Shikamaru'_ he thought, looking at the ground. He knew that Ino, out of all the girls in Konoha, was his closest friend. Together with Chouji, they were the unbreakable Ino-Shika-Chou trio, not to mention that Temari was also hurt which doubled the pain within him.

Tsunade nodded, "Thank you, Shikamaru. Your words are to be duly noted" she said, receiving a nod from the young Shinobi. "Shikamaru, Neji," she said, "other than the people recruited for this situation, no body is to know about this situation. I don't want any panic around Konoha. Do you understand that?" she asked, "Yes, Hokage-sama!" they both replied, receiving a nod from their superior.

"I want both of you, Ino, Temari, Kankurou, along with the Shinobi you choose, to be here within the hour" she ordered, narrowing her eyes. "We will, Tsunade-sama" Neji said, nodding his head in respect. Tsunade nodded back, "Now you're dismissed"

The two shinobi bowed in respect to her before going out of the office.

Once they were out the door, Tsuande leaned back in her chair, sighing heavily. "This is bad." she exclaimed, shaking her head. "I knew this stable status wasn't a good thing" she said, leaning on the desk, rubbing her temples.

"Deidara" she mumbled, closing her eyes as she continued to rub her temples. She knew she had to interrogate him about the situation.

"SHIZUNE!" she yelled, causing the door to be swung open by the young woman, rushing into the office at once. "Hai, Tsuande-sama!" she replied, still holding the door knob.

Tsunade got up, straightening her shirt and her _'Fire'_ embroidered green jacket. "I want you to get me Kakashi, Gai, Anko, Asuma and Kurenai here, _right now!_" she said with her usual commanding voice. Shizune nodded and went out the door in search for the requested five.

In a couple of minutes, they were all assembled in front of Tsunade's desk. She looked at each and every one of them straight in the eye.

"We have a major situation here and your attendance is needed."

**Rooftops of Konoha…**

In a few minutes, Kakashi, Anko, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai separated; Asuma and Kurenai in one direction while the other three went towards a certain house.

Asuma narrowed his eyes, jumping from roof to roof with Kurenai as they went in search for the _threat_, as Tsunade put it. He was worried. One of his best students was injured during her encounter with Gaara and was nearly killed. Although one of their Ninja requirements is not to get too emotionally close with your students, Asuma couldn't help himself from caring for his students as they were his own children. He knew that any threat on his student would have to be ended by his own hands. Kurenai looked at him and frowned.

"Don't get too emotional, Asuma, or you'll be of no use to us or to Konoha" she said, pacing ahead of him, he looked at her and sighed. He knew she was right; after all, that was Kurenai Yuhi. Whenever they were together, she was always the brains while he was the muscles.

While those two were searching the area, Gai, Kakashi and Anko were on their way to The Yamanaka residence. Kakashi remembered her words to him:

_'Never underestimate anyone you meet on your way, even Deidara. Make sure the Yamanakas don't know a thing, not even that their daughter is injured'_

He thought that the last part was a bit too much. The Yamanakas will certainly ask about their daughter.

As soon as they were there, all three stood in front of the door. Gai looked at Kakashi and Anko. "Anyone's gonna knock the door? Or should I do it?" he asked, crossing his arms. Kakashi looked at him

"Did you say something?" he said, making Gai gasp and move closer to him raising his fist in Kakashi's face.

"Kakashi, You're attitude is so…" he said, trying to find the word, "…hip! You never change" he said, angered. Anko swore she could almost see sparkle between their eyes. Both guys earned a slap on their arm from Anko.

"This is not the time for you two!" she said, taking a step towards the door and raised her fist. Kakashi and Gai looked at each other, having the same thought.

_'She sure is scary' _

_Knock, knock_

In a second, the door was answered by Asuka, Ino's mother, holding her hand against her chest. "Oh, Hello!" she said, narrowing her eyes. "Kakashi, Anko and Gai, how can I help you?" she said, stepping aside, letting them in. Kakashi shook his head.

"I'm sorry for disturbing, Yamanaka-san, but we were wondering if Deidara was here" he bluntly asked. Asuka blinked a couple of times, knotting her eyes brows. "Deidara? He went out with Ino this morning" she said, widening her eyes. "Did something happen to Ino?" she said, her eyes were filled with tears and her hand rested on her heart. Kakashi shook his head, "She's fine, we just wanted to see if Deidara was here" he said, nodding his head. She looked at the ground, then at Anko and Gai.

"He didn't do anything bad, did he?" she asked, making the two look at each other before looking back at her.

"No, but we just needed to talk to him about something." Anko said with a smile on her face. Asuka sighed and nodded.

"Well, I'm really sorry, I wish I could help you more with this, if he comes by, I'll let him know—"

"—Don't!" Gai said, making all the three look at him, "I mean, I don't think you should bother yourself. It's not a big deal, you know." He said, chuckling nervously. Kakashi looked at him and shook his head.

Asuka nodded, quizzically looking at Gai. "Okay, I won't" she said, smiling. Anko smiled and nodded at Asuka.

"Well, excuse us but we have an important thing to do" she said, disappearing along with the men out of Asuka's vision. She sighed and walked out of the house. She checked right and left for any suspecious act before walking back inside.

At the rooftop, Anko slapped Gai on the back of his head. "OUCH! What for youth's sake was that for!?" he asked, Anko crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

"I don't think you should bother yourself?!" she mocked his tone, repeating what he said to Asuka. "What kind of a lame excuse is that!?" she said, tapping her foot to the ground.

"Well, for now, I believe that kid is a threat. His name was mentioned by Gaara, he might be his assistant. If Asuka told him that we asked for him, he might flee then WOOSH, GONE WITH THE WIND" he said, clasping his hands together. Anko gaped at him, not getting his _philosophy._

"For the first time in my life, I agree with you" Kakashi exclaimed, earning gaping looks from both Anko and Gai. He looked at them quizzically, "What?" he said, sarcastically. Anko shook her head.

"I'm stuck with idiots!" she said, walking towards the edge of the roof. Kakashi shook his head.

"She's gonna kill herself" he sarcastically exclaimed, earning a death glare from her. Gai believed the situation.

"Don't! Anko, you're too young to die" Gai said, extending his arms to save her. Anko rolled her eyes, Kakashi sighed.

"Now, you're really going to force her off that ledge" he said, looking at Anko who turned her head sharply at them.

"Someone's coming closer to the Yamanaka residence" she said, taking a step back and kneeling, hiding from the person's vision. Both Gai and Kakashi walked to her side, kneeling too.

"Is that a girl?" Gai asked, looking at the blonde who was walking closer to the house. Anko looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"You can totally tell it's a guy!" she said, "I mean, look at the flat chest—"

"—there are lots of girls with flat chests" Kakashi interrupted, earning a weird look from the two. "No more Icha-Icha series for ya" she said, moving her vision back at the young person down there.

"That's it! I'm going down there" Kakashi said, jumping down. Both Anko and Gai forcefully followed, jumping in front of the blonde.

"Hold it right there, Deidara" Kakashi said, making the young man smirk, digging his hands in his pockets.

"How can I help?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. _'So this IS Deidara'_ he thought, narrowing his eyes at the young man. "You're Ino's cousin, aren't you?" he asked, earning a chuckle from the young man.

"You can tell, right?" he said, narrowing his eyes at Gai and Anko who looked carefully at him. Deidara moved his vision back at Kakashi. "You're coming with us, Hokage-sama wants to have a word with you" he said, walking closer to the blonde. Deidara's face went pale at once, but in a split second, the color came back to his face as he smiled. Kakashi knotted his eyebrows at the blonde's reaction.

"Alright," he said, walking towards the Jonins, "lead the way" he said, walking off. None of the three Jonins noticed the looks exchanged between Deidara and Asuka inside.

Asuka closed the curtain of the window, leaning on the wall with a smirk on her face.

"It's time" she said, walking upstairs to Deidara's room. She opened the door and walked towards the cabin, opening it. She smiled once she saw Deidara's coat and Hat.

"It's been a while" she mumbled, chuckling.

**Konoha Medical Center. aka Hospital **

Ino lied down on one of the two beds in the room; a cast was covering her left arm all the way to her elbow. Parts of her face were covered with bandages, including her neck. Her shirt was taken off, replaced by bandages that covered her upper body fully, leaving her shoulders bare. She was unconscious, unlike Temari who lied on the other bed wide awake, thinking about her brother. She had parts of her arms and body bandaged as well, leaving her only in her black shorts and light-blue tank top. Scrapes covered her face.

Kankurou wasn't aware that Temari was awake. Leaning against the wall, Kankurou sighed. "What's gotten into you, Gaara?" he said, looking at the ground.

"Still talking to yourself, eh?" Kankurou lifted his head to see his sister, her head turned to the side, looking at him with a smile on her face. Kankurou chuckled and leaned off of the wall, walking towards her.

"Yeah, that habit would never go away" he said, chuckling. She chuckled, turning her head back and closing her eyes. Kankurou knew she was thinking about their younger brother.

Temari pushed herself up, causing her to wince in pain. Kankurou sat next to her, holding her shoulders to help her lie back down.

"No," she said, pushing his hands away before sitting up straight, "we can't rest, we have to find him!" she said, looking at her brother in the eye. "I don't want to live in fear! Not again!" she said, trying to hold back the tears that were already strolling down her cheeks. She looked at her hands, which were resting on her lap, and watched the tears drop on the white sheet.

Kankurou looked at the ground, and then moved his vision to Ino, still unconscious. Temari moved her vision to her brother and then to Ino. Kankurou sighed, shaking his head.

"He couldn't even recognize her anymore; the one he spent almost all of his time with" he sadly said. Temari nodded, wiping away her tears. "That's why we have to find him as soon as possible" she said, moving her vision from Ino to Kankurou who was nodding, silently.

Suddenly, Ino stirred, causing Kankurou to jump off his sister's bed and walking toward hers.

"Ino, are you awake?" he asked, watching Ino's movement. She moved her head to the side, her eyes were still shut. She stirred, moving her head right and left; her right hand tightened its grip on the white sheet she was covered with. Kankurou narrowed his eyes, _'She's having a bad dream'_ he thought, looking at his sister who was in some sort of a trance. Kankurou grabbed a nearby chair and moved it next to Ino's bed, sitting down.

"Ino, hang in there" he said, reaching for her hand and held it with his. It's true her life wasn't in danger, but what she'd witnessed before by Gaara's hands was much worse than being in danger.

Unconsciousness POV:

Ino stood in a dark place, her eyes were closed. She could hear faint voices in the distance, but she couldn't reach out for them. She opened her eyes slowly, only to be faced with pure darkness. She looked around: blackness surrounded her. She couldn't make out anything. She couldn't see her feet, and she couldn't see her hands as she waved them in front of herself.

"Where am I?" she asked herself, looking at her hands. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply.

A cold hand touched her shoulder, making her turn around. She screamed once she saw his face.

"No!" she said, taking a step backwards. Deidara laughed as he walked closer to her. Ino screamed, trying to get as far as she can away from him but no avail, she fell on her knees, shaking her head.

"Did you mention that spiders were your worst nightmares?" he asked, sarcastically as hundreds of clay spiders came out of nowhere and crawled towards Ino. She gasped and got up again, running away but stumbling across her own legs, falling on the ground. She cried while getting up, trying to run away from him. The spiders were getting closer, she looked back at them and screamed. Due to being panicked, she fell down, freezing in place. She looked at the white spiders as they made their way to her, their owner laughing behind. Ino closed her eyes as the spiders pounced at her. Time seemed to move slowly, as the spiders almost touched her skin, _almost._

"Ino"

Ino shot her eyes open, feeling a sudden rush down her spine as she saw a wall of sand in front of her, protecting her from the spiders. The wall suddenly crashed to the ground, every single grain of sand disappearing into the darkness. Ino looked in front of her to see that the spiders were long gone, along with their owner. She got up and held her arms, shivering. It suddenly became cold as the voice whispered again.

"Ino"

She didn't know where it was from. It seemed like it was from everywhere. Ino turned around, looking everywhere her eyes can go; unfortunately, it was too dark for her to see.

"Ino!" she stopped, stopped walked, stopped looking around, stopped thinking, and stopped breathing as the voice spoke her name one last time, She knew, it was behind her. Ino turned around slowly, seeing the figure standing a couple of feet away.

Her breath was caught in her throat as she saw him, wearing his burnt-brown colored trench coat, his grey vest, that wild hair. It was no mistake.

"G-Gaara" she said, her voice barely a whisper. She started walking towards him, but every time she took a step forward, he seemed to be going further away. Gaara extended his hand, reaching out for her.

"Ino," he said, smiling sadly, "help me" he whispered, his figure slowly fading into the darkness. Ino ran, ran as fast as she can. "Gaara! Wait!" she yelled, running towards him. Gaara smiled sadly at her before disappearing in the darkness. She continued on running towards him until her feet couldn't hold any longer. Ino collapsed, falling to her knees, tears making their way quickly down her cheek.

"G-Gaara, please." she mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut before opening them again, calling his name on top of her lungs.

"Gaara!!!"

End of Unconsciousness POV

She shot up in her bed, calling out his name. "Gaara!" she yelled as Kankurou quickly got up, holding her shoulders.

"Ino, look at me. He's gone, he's not going to hurt you anymore" he said, shaking her out of her state. Her eyes were still closed as Kankurou felt goose bumps form on her bare shoulders. Ino shook her head frantically, her movement dying down as Kankurou continued to talk to her. Temari, clutching her sheets tight, watched the whole scene.

"Ino, please," Kankurou whispered, calming her down. "it's alright, look at me." he said, his current tone softer than his usual. Ino slowly opened her eyes, looking at Kankurou as tears formed in her eyes, making their way down her cheek like a waterfall.

"G-Gaara," she whispered, barely audible, causing Kankurou to get a bit closer to hear her, "he needs me" she said, leaning her head on Kankurou's shoulder and sobbed lightly. Kankurou turned his head to the side, looking at his sister who had a saddened expression on her face.

Kankurou wrapped his arms around her petite, injured body, sighing heavily. "He needs us all, Ino" he said, rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her increasing sobs. Temari pulled the sheets off of her, swinging her legs to the side of the bed. Kankurou looked at his sister and shook his head.

"You shouldn't be up—", he stopped in the middle of his sentence once he saw a serious expression on Temari's face. She made her way across the room and stood next to Ino's bed, resting her hand on Ino's back, above her brother's hands.

"Ino, look at me." she said, firmly. Ino moved away from Kankurou's shoulder and looked into the Suna Kunoichi's eyes, noticing how serious she was.

"If Gaara needs your help, you have to be strong for him. Stop crying like a baby!" she scolded her, making the blonde sob a couple of times before containing her sobs, eventually stop crying. Kankurou looked at his sister who crossed her arms with a victorious expression on her face.

"Ino, you'll stay here. Kankurou and I will go look for Gaara" she said, moving back to her bed, picked up her black Kimono from the chair next to it and wore it, tying the light-blue sash around her body. Kankurou got up and walked to his sister as she picked her fan up and attached it to the clip on her back.

"What are you, crazy? You're exhausted and you need to—"

"—What I need is to find my brother" she said, looking firmly at him, yet her eyes betrayed her. They showed the anxiety to her brother. Kankurou opened his mouth to speak, but someone spoke before him.

"I want to go too." Ino exclaimed, catching both of the Suna-Shinobi's attention. Temari shook her head,

"You need to stay here!"

_Knock, Knock_

The door was opened, revealing Shikamaru, peeking his head through the half opened door. He smiled once he saw Temari on her own two feet, but frowned when he noticed Ino in bed with a broken arm.

"Hey guys" he said, walking towards Temari. She smiled as he gave her a peck on her lips, asking her how she was and receiving a glare from the overprotective brother. Shikamaru turned his head to face Ino who had a smile on her face, yet it wasn't a sincere one.

"Hey Ino," he said, walking towards her bed. "how're you feeling?" he asked, mentally slapping himself. _'That's not the question to ask, baka'_

Ino nodded, looking at the sheets before moving her vision towards her team-mate. "I'm," she said, pausing, "I'm ok" she continued, smiling. Shikamaru nodded, "Good, because Tsunade-sama wants to see us," he said, looking at Temari and Kankurou, "all of us" he repeated, receiving a nod from the Suna Shinobi.

"Alright, I'm down" Temari said, crossing her arms. Ino smiled and moved the sheets off of her, her bandaged legs swung to the side. Ino turned back and forth for her upper dark-blue shirt and pants, as soon as she realized she was in her short dark-blue shorts.

Ino blushed, moving the covers back on her legs. Kankurou and Shikamaru looked at each other and both walked towards the door, walking out of the room, leaving the young Kunoichi a chance to get dressed.

Ino looked at Temari who was shaking her head. "I'll help you with that" she said, moving to her bed and picked up the shirt, realizing that Ino needed a help getting dressed with that broken arm.

**In front of Hokage's office…**

Kankurou and Shikamaru were waiting outside the office. Apparently Tsunade was having a meeting with someone. They weren't the type to eavesdrop, but Kankurou and Shikamaru couldn't help but to hear a couple of muffled words.

**Inside…**

"When was the last time you saw Gaara?" Tsunade asked, expecting a reply from the blonde. Deidara narrowed his eyes, remembering the last time he's encountered _Suna no Kazekage_

"Um, this morning, hmmm" he said, raising an eyebrow. Tsunade didn't like his attitude but she had to let that pass. "Where were you? What was the situation?" she asked, waiting impatiently for the blonde to reply.

"Well, I took a walk with Ino when we ran into him. He and Ino got _too friendly_ before I left" he said, smirking. Tsunade narrowed her eyes.

"Too friendly?" she repeated, receiving a nod from the blonde. "Yeah, I think they've been dating for a while now" he continued, crossing his arms. "Everyone knows by now" he said, narrowing his eyes at the Hokage. She closed her eyes, thinking.

_'Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?'_ she thought, before opening her eyes again.

"Did you and Gaara exchange words of some sort?" she asked, letting a small sigh after her words. Deidara shook his head, "Only introduction, hmm" he said. Tsunade wasn't pleased with the interrogation; she wasn't getting much out of him.

"Deidara," she said, getting up. "how long have you _really_ known Gaara?" she asked, crossing her arms. Deidara sighed, "I told you that I just met him this morning. All that I know is that he's Ino's boyfriend and I don't like him" he said. Deidara was tired of the interrogation himself. "Where did you go after that?" she asked, noticing that Deidara was at the verge of breaking down out of boredom.

"I went to the Hokage Mountain to relax. I like spending time there alone" he said, moving his hands behind his back. "Do you have an alibi?" she asked, receiving an eye roll from the blonde. Tsunade gaped, _'He's got the nerve to roll his eyes on me?'_ she thought, wanting to grab any near by thing to smack him across the face.

"I told you I went there _alone_, apparently, I don't have an alibi. What is this, an interrogation? Am I a suspect in some kind of a cheesy murder?" he asked, throwing his hands in the air. Tsunade groaned. "YES, this IS an interrogation and we're interrogating everyone at the moment. Don't think too highly of yourself." She said, walking behind her desk and throwing herself on the chair.

"Can I go now?" he asked, crossing his arms. Tsunade looked at him and leaned on her desk, rubbing her temples. She wasn't pleased with the results, but she did have something on her mind.

"Yeah, you can go" she said, closing her eyes. The blonde turned around without a word and walked out the door. Tsunade opened her eyes, looking at the door.

"Kakashi." she said as he appeared out of nowhere. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" he replied. Tsunade looked at him and narrowed her eyes.

"I don't like him. He remained calm during the interrogation as if he received special training in that." she bluntly said, "Keep an eye on him, all the time. I don't want him to get out of your sight, you hear me?" she said, receiving a nod from the white-haired Jonin before he cleared out of the room, silently following the blonde.

**Tsunade's office, a Couple of Minutes later…**

Shikamaru, Kankurou, Temari and Ino were standing in front of Tsunade's desk, waiting for Neji and the others to show up.

A few seconds later, Neji walked in, along with Tenten, Sakura, Sasuke, Lee, Chouji, Shino, Hinata, Kiba and Naruto. Tsunade looked at Lee who tried to ignore her looks from the moment he walked in.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning up your mess?" she said, talking about the restaurant. Lee nodded, "Hai, it's almost done. Yet, Neji told me that this was important, so I came here" he said, bowing. Tsunade sighed, intertwining her fingers and resting her hands on the table.

"Alright, I believe that you've all known what happened" she said, receiving a nod from the young Jonins and female Chuunins.

"I want you to find Gaara," she said, "and do whatever is necessary to stop him!"

"You're not suggesting that we kill him, do you?" Naruto asked with a worried expression. Ino, Kankurou and Temari all exchanged looks of fear before looking at Tsunade who gulped and closed her eyes, before opening them, avoiding to look in certain three pairs of eyes.

"If that's necessary, then yes, that's what I'm suggesting" She said, looking at her desk. Ino was shivering, holding back her tears.

_'Kill Gaara? No!'_ she mentally screamed, _'He needs me, and I'll bring him back. I can't let them hurt him, I just can't'_ she thought, her right hand balled into a fist, her eyes narrowed.

Tsunade cleared her throat, "Is that understood, everyone?" she asked

"Hai, Hokage-sama" they all replied. Tsunade nodded, "You must keep this mission confidential at all costs. Now, you're dismissed, except for you, Ino." she said, receiving a bow from the Ninjas before everyone went out the door. Ino looked at Tsunade with a sad look in her eyes.

"Yes, Hokage-sama" she asked, narrowing her eyes sadly. Tsunade understood the meaning of her look. "You're going to stay here. You can't sustain any more injuries than you already do" she advised, making the young girl look at the ground.

"B-but, Tsunade-sama," she pleaded, taking a step closer to the desk, "he needs me, and I can help him—"

"—I know you can, but I won't let you. You're emotional right now. You'll only be a burden on your mates" she said, getting up. Ino narrowed her eyes, letting a couple of tears stroll down her cheek. She looked down, letting the tears hit the desk. She raised her head, slamming her right fist frantically at the desk.

"I _won't_ let them _Kill_ Gaara!" she said, running out of the door, ignoring Tsunade's voice.

As Ino ran out the door, with her broken hand being a big obstacle, she realized that she'd yelled at Tsunade, Konoha no Hokage. She stopped in her tracks, thinking.

She's always been polite to everyone, well, except for her friends. But she would never think of yelling at her sensei, not even anyone older than her. But she's just yelled in the Hokage's face.

_'It's all because of you, Gaara'_ she thought, looking at the building's main gate. Ino took a deep breath and ran out, determined to find Gaara and bring him back.

**Hokage Mountain**

The wind blew, moving his hair and trench coat along as he could make out the Ninjas' figures walking out of the Hokage building, before splitting apart into groups.

Gaara stood there, arms crossed, raising his chin up, looking down at the Ninjas as they searched along for him. He smirked when he saw Ino run out the last, looking around.

"Look at you; lost like a black sheep" he said, chuckling, narrowing his eyes at her, still standing at the mountain.

Ino walked out, not knowing where to start looking for him. "If there's only a clue for your whereabouts, Gaara" she said, turning around, resting her right hand on her forehead.

"Gaara!" she yelled, finding it the only solution left for her in that state. Gaara kept looking down at her. His glare turned into a soft look once he saw her broken arm and that exhausted expression on her scraped, bandaged face.

**_"You're going soft, aren't ya?"_** the voice said, causing Gaara to clutch his head. **_"I'm not going anywhere. Ripping your own head off won't help"_** the voice said, messing with Gaara's thoughts. He breathed deeply then exhaled. Gaara had learned ever since he was a child how to control Shukaku's voice inside his head, _'Breathe deeply and get him out of there'_ he thought, the voice disappearing in an instant. Then he heard her voice, calling for him again.

"Gaara, where are you?!" Ino yelled, looking around. She stopped in her tracks, looking at the ground. "Let me find you, Gaara. Let me help you" she mumbled, sighing heavily. She looked up at the clear sky; a wind hit her, forcing her to close her eyes.

"Maybe Tsunade-sama was right, I should stay inside the building" she said, turning around and walking towards the building. She looked around, right and left, right and left. Somehow, she was forced to look up at the Hokage mountain.

Baby-blue eyes met sea foam green. Her eyes widened as she met with his cold yet burning glare. "G-Gaara." she stuttered, stopping in her tracks. He didn't move, not even blink. He just kept staring at her. His eyes were cold, yet they were telling her something else.

_"Help me" _

She remembered his words in that dream she had. Was he calling for her? Or were those words only what she wanted him to tell her? She closed her eyes, shook her head and looked up again, but he was gone.

Gaara paced away from the ledge of the mountain, trying to get out of Ino's vision range. He wasn't ready to run into her again, not after hurting her again.

_'Why am I caring about her? she's a liar!'_ he thought, or perhaps those were Shukaku's thoughts. Gaara shook his head and continued on going away.

"Where are you going to, Gaara-kun?" a dreadful, yet deep voice said, stopping Gaara in his tracks.

He slowly turned around, fully facing his interceptor. "Who are you?" he quietly said, narrowing his eyes at the newcomer. Another wind hit them, moving Gaara's trench coat along with the wind. The man smirked at Gaara, lifting his head out of his high-collared, black and red-clouds marked coat, taking his conical straw hat off of his head to reveal his dark hair and blood-red eyes.

"It's about time we met, Kazekage-sama." he said, looking at Gaara with a smirk, trying to recognize the guy.

"You don't know me." he said, smirking, "Uchiha Itachi is my name"

As soon as Gaara disappeared, Ino grimaced, "It's your imagination, Ino" she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. She took a couple of steps before she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder.

"Ino-chan," a male voice said, a familiar one. She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "where are you going?" Deidara said, still holding her shoulder. Ino gritted her teeth. "Stay away from me, Deidara!" she spat, turning around. Deidara smirked, narrowing his eyes.

"Now, Ino-Chan, is that how you greet—"

"—the one who ruined my life? the one who caused this mess?" she yelled, throwing her hand to the side. Deidara shook his head, sighing deeply.

"Ino," he said, digging his right arm inside a bag attached to his belt, "you don't want me to do this" he said, keeping his hand inside the bag. Ino narrowed her eyes, wondering what's inside the bag. She swore she could almost hear something wriggling inside the bag.

"What are you doing, Deidara?" she asked, a tone of fright in her voice. Deidara took a step closer to her. Ino moved away but he reached for her cheek, caressing it slowly, placing his palm fully on her cheek. Ino gasped and took a step backwards once she felt some kind of liquid on her cheek. He shook, taking his hand off of her cheek. Ino noticed a pink thing on his palm, but his hand was quickly hidden inside his pocket.

Deidara chuckled, "Didn't you wonder why I was never introduced into your family until now?" he said, chuckling. Ino took a step backwards as his chuckled became psyched.

"Because, you're my distant relative and my parents haven't found out about you till now" Ino said, making Deidara break in laughter. She shivered by his insanity.

"I can't believe everyone believed this distant relative shit" he said, moving his hand around in the bag. "I can't believe, out of all the people, that your stupid boyfriend believed that" he said, chuckling and shaking his head. Ino gasped, _'What does he mean by that?'_

"When was the last time you saw your mother, Ino-chan?" he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

She looked at him with a fearful look in her eyes, "What have you done to her?" she yelled, taking a step closer to her.

"Hmmm, wasn't it when I first arrived? Or was it just this morning? Didn't you notice something strange in her behavior?" he asked, stopping his hand from moving around the bag.

Ino wasn't quite following him; instead, she remained silent, wondering where that was going.

"Your mother is dead, Ino," he said, making Ino's eyes widen, "I killed her"

* * *

**AH!!! CLIFFHANGER!! **((Falls off a cliff))

**Forgive me for this very long chapter, but I kept on writing and writing and I couldn't find a place to finish the chapter. **

**This story is approaching its ending. I wonder what the ending will be. **

**DID YOU SEE WHAT DEIDARA SAID?! MUAHAHAHA, I'm evil!! **

**What's the relation between Deidara and Itachi?! YAOI XP, LOL! Don't think so… **

**I'm gonna make ya wait till the next chapter. **

**Please review****, Ja na!!**


	27. Chapter 26: Sand Storm

**Reviews: **

Kikyouhater118: Now, She's not dead, not yet. Muahahahaha

TheJillyisEVIL: I'm glad you like it, thanks for your review

deathlyillusion36: …. I'm speechless. Thank you so much for your encouraging review. This chapter is all yours, mate, all yours.

Saka Salrin (bananamike): Here's the chapter for ya! I'm glad you like it so much, thanks for your review

Thank GOD for "Sasuke's Destiny" theme because I was listening to it during the whole chapter. It gave me the suspense I needed.

* * *

Previously… 

_"It's about time we met, Kazekage-sama," he said, looking at Gaara with a smirk, trying to recognize the guy. _

_"You don't know me." he said, smirking, "Uchiha Itachi is my name"_

* * *

_"When was the last time you saw your mother, Ino-chan?" he said, narrowing his eyes at her. _

_She looked at him with a fearful look in her eyes, "What have you done to her?" she yelled, taking a step closer to her. _

_"Hmmm, wasn't it when I first arrived? Or was it just this morning? Didn't you notice something strange in her behavior?" he asked, stopping his hand from moving around the bag._

_Ino wasn't quite following him; instead, she remained silent, wondering where that was going._

_"Your mother is dead, Ino," he said, making Ino's eyes widen, "I killed her"_

* * *

**Please Remember, Chapter 26**

Ino's eyes widened. She couldn't believe what she's heard. _'Mom is dead?!'_ she thought. Her breaths started to shorten, her heart started to beat faster than it already was. She couldn't comprehend that thought. Ino kept looking straight into Deidara's eyes.

"You're a liar!" she yelled, throwing her hand to the side, "That's a lie, my mother is still alive!"

"Yeah, right, she's at home, cleaning the house and fixing your lunch" he mocked, rolling his eyes. Ino's eyes started to fill up with tears, yet her tears didn't fall down. She held them back, looking at Deidara who was chuckling. She gulped, her breaths were quickly shortening till the point were she was almost gasping for breath.

"C'mon Ino, let it out!" he said, shaking his head. "You want to cry, get it out. Your mother is FREAKIN' DEAD!" he yelled, forcing her tears to stroll down her cheek. She took a deep breath, and slowly reached for her Kunai holder.

Deidara noticed her move and disappeared, appearing behind her in a swift move, holding her right arm behind her back, twisting it.

"Ah-ah-ah," he said, waving his index finger in her face. "I won't let you, Ino-chan" he said, still holding her right arm with his left hand. He moved his right hand on her cheek then to her neck where she felt a sharp pain, followed by a warm form of liquid on her neck. Deidara moved her fingers across her neck and then held them in front of her.

"See, Ino-chan?" he said, showing Ino her own blood. "I can hurt you, and I did. Don't you dare think that I can't!" he said, laughing. Ino grimaced as she felt something move inside her neck, around her shoulders and resting somewhere inside her chest.

"W-What did you do, Deidara?!" she spat, making Deidara twist her arm a bit more, causing her to scream.

"Nothing much," he said, turning her around and forcing her to look at him in the eye. Deidara grinned once he saw the fear in her eyes, "it's just that you're a bomb ready to blow up at any minute." he said, raising his right eyebrow at her.

Deidara turned Ino around him to face the mountain, "See Ino, no one is around. Haven't you wondered why?" he said, pushing her along as he walked, twisting her hand in the process.

Ino had no idea what was going on. She was losing it every time that thing moved inside of her. She narrowed her eyes as she thought of her mother.

"What have you done to my mother, De-AH!!" she yelled as he twisted her arm, almost making it past vertical position against her back.

"Shut up and keep walking!" he yelled. Ino's tears slowly flowed down her cheek as she realized she wasn't able to do anything with her broken arm.

_'Mom, Gaara, everyone,'_ she thought, closing her eyes. _'I've failed, I'm sorry'_

**At the mountain…**

Gaara narrowed his eyes once he heard the name, _'Uchiha Itachi?'_ he thought, **_"Uchiha Sasuke's older brother"_** his inner voice said, making Gaara narrow his eyes as the fact was very clear to him.

"What do you want, Uchiha?" he asked, crossing his arms. Itachi laughed, narrowing his eyes as they slowly turned deep red.

"I want what's remained of Shukaku." he said, raising his index and middle finger in front of his face, "That's why, I'll kill you" he said, his body dissolving into dozens of ravens, flying away. Gaara looked up, uninterested of the parade Itachi was holding.

As the ravens went down and tried to hit Gaara. The latter narrowed his eyes and smirked when his ultimate defense was activated, protecting him with a shield of sand. Gaara knew he was in some kind of genjutsu, yet he wasn't terrified with the idea. Nothing scared the hell out of Sabaku no Gaara.

"Is that all you got?!" he said, looking at the bevy of ravens roaming over him. Gaara grinned as the birds started to lunge down at him again, trying to find an opening. Gaara shook his head and grinned. The birds gathered again, forming Itachi's body.

"You want to kill me, yet you don't know about this?!" he said, thrusting his palm towards Itachi, sending his sand at an incredible speed. Itachi was hit, sending him flying almost eleven meters away. Gaara grinned as the sand surrounded Itachi.

Gaara's eyes widened at the following action.

Itachi's body disappeared in a storm of Leafs, leaving Gaara astonished, wondering where he went. He turned his head to the side to see him standing far away from him with a smirk on his face. Gaara gritted his teeth, sending his sand towards the Uchiha. The latter simply dodged the attack and stood still. As Gaara readied himself to send another attack, he paused as he felt someone's presence behind him.

"You didn't expect this would finish me off, eh?" Gaara widened his eyes as Itachi's voice was heard behind him. Gaara turned his head to the side to see Itachi looking as calm as ever. He rested his hand on Gaara's shoulder, his eyes narrowing at the latter as he moved his lips to speak.

"Bunshin Daibakuha" Itachi whispered the name of his 'Clone Great Explosion' technique. The following happened in a flash as the sand made its way towards its owner in time for Itachi's body to explode, sending Gaara a couple of feet in the air and smashing into the ground with a loud hit, his sand dusting the area. Itachi made his way towards Gaara, looking patronizingly at him.

"You didn't think your pathetic sand will work against me, did you, Gaara-kun?" he said, the dust clearing off the area to reveal Gaara, lying on a carpet of sand, his body cracked in several places.

"Suna no Yoroi, eh?" Itachi said, admiring Gaara's 'Sand armor'. "Your moves are getting pretty old, don't you think?" Itachi said, reaching out to get Gaara off of the ground. As soon as his hand touched Gaara's body, the latter dissolved into millions of grains of sands, catching the Uchiha off guard.

"Sabaku Kyū!" Gaara yelled out of nowhere, his sand increasing its speed to surround the Uchiha. The latter remained calm, not breaking a sweat as Gaara appeared a couple of feet away from him in a twister of sand.

"You're slow" Gaara said, raising his palm towards Itachi, "This is the end," Gaara said, smirking. He closed his fist gradually.

"Sabaku Sō−"

"−not so fast," the voice made Gaara's fist stop moving, "Kazekage-sama".

**_((COMMERCIAL BREAK, go get yourselves something to eat and drink cuz this chapter is longer than ever.)) _**

**_((WE'RE BACK!!)) _**

Gaara turned around, looking at the source of the voice. His eyes widened when he saw Ino, her eyes puffed, her right hand broken and her left was twisted behind her back by his blonde arch enemy.

Gaara gritted his teeth, narrowing his eyes "Deidara" he mumbled, closing his fist gradually at the Uchiha. Deidara twisted Ino's arm a bit more, making her scream in pain and fall to her knees, forcing Gaara to become distracted.

**_"Pay attention to your opponent! Forget about her!"_** his inner voice said, making Gaara wince. Ino looked at him, shaking her head as Deidara pulled her back up on her own feet and closer to himself, placing a Kunai knife on her neck.

"Move a muscle and she dies" he exclaimed, making Ino wince as Deidara slightly pushed the Kunai on her neck. Gaara stopped, having no idea what to do.

_'If I don't finish off Uchiha, he'll kill me, but if I don't, then Ino...'_ he thought, narrowing his eyes as they met Deidara's fox-like ones.

**_"Kill him! She's of no good to you"_** his inner voice said, causing Gaara to move his left hand to his head.

"STOP IT!" he yelled, leaning forward, causing all three to carefully watch his moves. His right hand was still facing the Uchiha. Gaara turned his head Sharply to Itachi, then to Deidara and Ino.

"What will you do, Gaara-kun?" Itachi mildly asked, making the sand tighten against him. Deidara smirked and pushed the knife harder on Ino's neck, making her wince.

Gaara turned his head to look at her. Deidara smirked, moving the knife a centimeter away from her neck.

"I told you, move a muscle and she dies!" he frustratingly yelled. Gaara stood up straight looking at Ino, noticing that she moved her vision to the ground once his eyes met hers.

**_"You already hurt her. There's no use of keeping her alive"_** The inner voice said, causing Gaara to breathe deeply, closing his eyes. A few seconds have past and he hasn't moved a muscle

"Alright" he said, opening his eyes and smirking at Deidara. The latter knotted his eyes brows as he noticed that Gaara tightened his grip a bit more. Deidara widened his eyes.

_'Is he really going to sacrifice this girl?'_ he thought as he tightened his grip on Ino's twisted left arm and the Kunai knife. Gaara smirked and stopped his hand from moving. The area went silent as the wind blew again; the only sound was heard was the whiff of the trees around them.

"I'll kill him," he said, narrowing his eyes. "unless you let her go" he completed, making Ino look at him, eyes widened.

Deidara smirked, "No way. You'll let him go, or I'll kill her" he said, waving the knife a couple of inches away from Ino's neck, making her move her head backwards, almost hitting Deidara in the process.

"She's nothing to me," Gaara said, "not after what she's done!" he continued, narrowing his eye at her.

"Let me guess," Deidara said, "the kiss, right? You didn't let her explain, and neither did I" he continued, making Gaara listen carefully.

"I was the one who started it. It was all part of this whole plan" he said, laughing. Gaara went pale. _'Part of the plan?'_ he thought, looking at Ino who was in tears, looking at the ground.

"I knew you were there, that's why I kissed her. See, I figured that if you saw your own girlfriend kiss someone else, you'll think she's cheating on you. Of course with your psychotic history in murder and violence, I figured you might kill her. So, that small, almost unnoticeable part of Shukaku would be awakened. That would leave the village with one less ninja. In other words," Deidara said, smirking before looking at his team-mate.

"you were a great help to our plan. A main element, may I say" Itachi continued, making Gaara turn his head towards the Uchiha who was smirking. Gaara moved his vision back and forth between the two. _'Then that means I-I hurt her, because of them'_ he thought, looking at Ino who was in tears. _'What have I done?'_ he narrowed his eyes, not angrily, but softly at Ino, the one who loved him, the one he's hurt. Deidara's annoying voice broke his thoughts.

"but unfortunately, FOR US, two of her friends saved her" he said, breathing sharply through his gritted teeth, moving his lips next to Ino's ear. "What were their names? Oh, yes. Nara Shikamaru and Hyuuga Neji" He said, chuckling. Ino closed her eyes, _'God, please, let this be over.'_

Gaara narrowed his eyes at the blonde who sighed, letting go of Ino's twisted arm, and pulled her closer to his body, holding his left arm around her shoulder, moving the knife to her temple.

"and now that you fought those two, I believe one of them is already out of Chakura. That also shows that you were a great assistant to us." he said, smirking. Ino froze as he started moving the tip of the knife lightly from her temple, across her cheek and down to her neck, sickly enjoying every single moment of it. Ino's breath stopped in its tracks as he mentioned that one of them was almost out of Chakura, and then she remembered:

_"There isn't much time, Ino. I can't get a grip on him much longer!" Shikamaru said, his hands shaking out of their calm status. _

_Shikamaru gritted his teeth. He was nearing his limit. "Ino, get out!" he yelled, releasing Gaara from his technique_

"Shikamaru." she mumbled, closing her eyes, wishing her friends would be ok and blaming herself for the whole situation. Her thought were cut once she felt herself being shook

"Wake up, I didn't bring you here to fall asleep on me now, did I?" he said, pressing the Kunai on her neck again, forcing her to move her head backwards. Gaara was watching the whole scene, and he didn't like it.

Deidara moved his vision towards Gaara, "Look, we'll make a deal. I'll let her go, and you let him go, how about that?" he said, narrowing his eyes. Gaara smirked, "What's the catch?"

"There's no catch!" Deidara said, moving his knife away from her head and pushing Ino a couple of feet away from him.

Gaara knotted his eyebrows as he saw his actions, not daring to move a muscle. "Move!" he ordered, Ino took a couple of steps towards Gaara. "STOP!" Deidara said, forcing Ino to stop a couple of feet away from both of them. She looked at Gaara with a worried expression on her face as if she was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't get it.

"See?" Deidara said, shrugging his shoulders. "Now, Let him go" he said, angrily. Gaara looked between the three. Itachi had a sick smirk on his face; Deidara wasn't worried at all while Ino was terrified for some reason.

"And you," he said, making Ino turn around to face him, "be a good girl" he said, narrowing his eyes. Ino knew he was talking about whatever he planted inside her body. She turned to face Gaara, again with that horrified expression on her face. Gaara looked at the ground, thinking about everything he's done.

He was torn between killing Itachi to save his own life, and letting him go to save Ino's. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

**_"Kill him, Gaara. You're a monster, kill him!"_** the inner voice yelled. Gaara simply ignored it as he smiled, releasing the Uchiha out of his sand coffin, lowering his hand to his side. Itachi stood on his two feet, unharmed and calm. Gaara raised his head to face Ino, who was shaking her head, tears making their way down her cheek. "G-Gaara…" she mumbled, her lips pouted, forcing Gaara to soften up.

"That was the worst choice in the world, Gaara!" Deidara said, moving his index and middle fingers in front of his face. Ino took a couple of steps backwards, away from Gaara as soon as she felt the thing inside of her move around in her chest and moving towards her right shoulder. Deidara smirked, "Hmmm!" he said, activating his special ability, The C-3 inside of Ino.

It wasn't long till Ino right shoulder sprayed blood all over the place, and in Gaara's face. She looked at him, tears slowly making their down her cheek before she fell to her knees, and fell face down. Gaara's eyes widened, seeing Ino drowned in her own blood, not moving. He reached his hand to touch his face, looking at his fingers.

_'Blood,'_ he thought. His hands were shaking, _'her blood'_ he thought, looking at Ino's unconscious body. He took a step closer, wanting to check her, wanting to hold her and apologize for being such a jerk. His steps stopped after hearing the laughter of Deidara.

"You should thank me for not making it a little bit bigger, otherwise, her arm would've been torn off" he said, pointing at Ino's right injured arm. Gaara gritted his teeth, looking at Deidara and taking a step closer.

"You Bastard, I'll kill you!"

"No you won't!" Itachi said, forcing Gaara to look at him straight in the eye, and that was a terrible mistake.

Gaara eyes widened as he felt his body being paralyzed by just looking at him, at his blood-red, Sharingan activated eyes.

Deidara looked at his team-mate then looked to his right, at the village. "Soon, this whole village will be destroyed" he said, narrowing his eyes as he noticed several people standing on one of the far away houses. Deidara reached for the hair covering his left eye and moved it away, using his eye-scope to get a better look.

"Ino's friends, eh?" he said, focusing his vision on two Dōjutsu **(eye technique)** users. He smirked, narrowing his eyes at the two.

"They'll be able to see everything if they looked our way, there's gotta be away to keep things to our advantage" he said, moving his hair back to its place. "It's time to mess around" Deidara said, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Once he opened his eyes, tears strolled down his cheek.

"INO!" he said, running towards her and kneeling besides her. Itachi, while looking at Gaara, smirked. _'This boy is sick'_ he thought, catching Gaara in his famous jutsu.

"Gaara-kun," he started, "are you familiar with Tsukuyomi?" he continued, making the former wince at the hint of irony in his voice. Itachi chuckled, "You're about to witness it" he said, raising his index and middle fingers in front of his face. "It's one of my Mangekyo Sharingan abilities" he said, just when the world around the two became dark, the sun became black and the clouds became grey as the sky turned into a dark shade of red.

Gaara suddenly found himself in another world, in another dimension. He looked around to find nothing around him. There was only Itachi, standing in front of him. Gaara tried to move but found himself tied to a wooden platform, his arms and legs were spread and paralyzed. Itachi smirked, taking a step closer to the Suna Shinobi.

"I'm going to torture you for seven days, until you give up" he said, raising his palm in Gaara's face. "Ever wondered how your victims felt before they were crushed by your sand?" he said, just in time for Gaara's sand to start moving around his arms and legs.

Gaara's eyes widened as his own sand tightened around his body. Itachi smirked, "You'll have that feeling too, Gaara-kun. But now, no matter how many times I crush you, you'll stay alive and feel every ounce of pain running through your body until you beg me to stop" he said, closing his fist, causing the sand to close in on Gaara. The latter gave out a blood-curdling scream as he felt his own arms and legs being torn out of their place.

Outside the whole illusionary world, Deidara was holding Ino in his arms, waiting for the others to show up. He wanted them to show up as fast as they can, so he knew what he had to do.

Deidara raised his head up and took a deep breath before yelling on top of his lungs

"SOMEBODY HELP!" he yelled, lowering his head and looking at Gaara who was frozen in place.

A few seconds later, for Deidara, Itachi lowered his hand, looking at Gaara who was panting, eyes widened and sweating like crazy. It wasn't long before he fell backwards, collapsing on the ground.

_'W-What in the world?' _he thought, trying to move at least one muscle but couldn't. Gaara knew that he was defeated, and that's a fact.

"I-Ino" he said, trying to move his hands, his head, his whole body but couldn't. Gaara closed his eyes and gave in, losing consciousness.

**A couple of minutes ago, somewhere…**

"Any sign of him?" Shikamaru asked the group, consisting of: Naruto, Hinata, Chouji, Kiba, Kankurou and Shino. Chouji shook his head, "No, we've looked everywhere. No sign of him." he said, the others were as disappointed. Neji nodded, looking at Shikamaru who was in some sort of trance.

"Hey, are you ok?" Neji asked, making Shikamaru look at him. "Yeah, I'm good" he said, looking at his teammates: Sasuke, Sakura, Tenten, Lee and Temari as they all looked exhausted from looking around for nothing.

"It's like he disappeared!" Temari said, turning around in frustration. All of the attention turned to her. Shikamaru sighed, shaking his head.

"Of course he didn't. He's somewhere, I can tell" he said. Suddenly, they all heard a distant voice.

"SOMEBODY HELP!"

"Who's that?!" Sakura asked, looking at the guys who started to look around. Hinata and Neji looked at each other and nodded.

"Byakugan!" they both said, activating their Kekkei Genkai, Looking around. Everyone waited for their reaction, until Hinata gasped.

"There!" she yelled, pointing at the Hokage Mountain. Neji narrowed his eyes, noticing four people.

"Gaara is there! Along with Ino, Deidara and Itachi" he said, looking at his team-mates. Sasuke knotted his eyebrows. _'Nii-san? What are you doing up there?'_ he thought, looking at the ground. Naruto narrowed his eyes, _'Did Deidara make it there before us?'_ he thought, gritting his teeth.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go-ttebayo!" he yelled, jumping from roof to roof towards the Hokage Mountain, followed by the others.

**The Mountain…**

Deidara grimaced, seeing that the ninjas were on their way. They reached the place at the same time, shocked of the whole scene. Ino was injured badly in Deidara's arm while Itachi stood away in front of a defeated Gaara.

"INO!" Shikamaru yelled, running as fast as he could towards her, followed by Sakura and Hinata. Deidara cried, his tears falling down on Ino's unconscious body. Shikamaru froze once he saw Ino's critical condition. His hands shook as he reached to touch her pale face. Instead, he tightened the grip on his hands and looked at Deidara.

"Who did this?!" Shikamaru yelled, grabbing Deidara by the collar. Sakura grabbed his shoulders, trying to calm him down.

"Shikamaru, please, now is not the time." She said, pushing him aside and sitting next to Ino. "I'll try to help her as fast as I can!"

"No! We have to take her to a hospital!" Deidara yelled, holding Ino's body closer. _'If they manage to get her back, she'll ruin the plan'_ Deidara thought as he was glared at by Shikamaru.

"There isn't much time!" she said, "Lay her on the ground, now!" she ordered with an angry face. Deidara narrowed his eyes and did so. Sakura held her hands above Ino's body, particularly her right shoulder. Greenish Chakura formed around her hands as she tried to heal her arm. Hinata was watching over, activating the Byakugan.

"Her Chakura circulation is still flowing, yet slowly, but that's a good sign that she's still alive. What happened here?" she asked, looking at Deidara who was spacing out.

"It's him, that Gaara. He's done this to her." he said, narrowing his eyes at him. Hinata turned his head towards Itachi and Gaara. Shikamaru looked at the wound, then at Deidara, and then moved his vision back to the wound.

_'That doesn't look like a wound made by Gaara. Her arm would be fully crushed if it was by him, but the wound is in one particular place, not her arm as a whole'_ Shikamaru thought, trying to find a logical explanation for this. He looked at Deidara, _'I don't trust him'_ he thought, turning his attention back at Ino.

Gaara could hear three sets of footsteps around him, one of them going towards Itachi and the other two towards him. Gaara slowly opened his eyes and looked up to see his siblings, looking down at him. Temari kneeled, looking at Gaara with teary eyes.

"Why did you do that, Gaara?" she said, looking at her brother. Gaara opened his mouth to speak up, but couldn't. He turned his head to the side to see Sakura trying to heal Ino. Deidara was there, looking right at him.

"D-Dei…" he mumbled, "Deidara!" he managed to get out, raising his hand towards him. Kankurou held his hand and slammed it down to the ground.

"Oh no, you won't" he said, looking at his brother. Gaara widened his eyes, as if he was trying to say the truth.

While Gaara was trying to get out his words, Sasuke walked towards his brother who was still looking at Gaara.

"I never thought you'd fight with us" he said, raising his fist to bump it with his brother's. Itachi smirked and returned the gestured. "Just trying to do what's the best for Konoha" he said, looking at the collapsed Suna no Shinobi. Sasuke turned around and looked at Deidara, then at Ino and grimaced.

"Did he do that to her?" he said, narrowing his eyes at the scene. Itachi didn't reply, instead, he stealthy got out a Kunai knife, making sure no one is to notice. Sasuke wasn't aware as well.

"Ah, Gaara hurt his own girlfriend" he said, raising his knife towards his brother. "What a tragedy" he said, lunging his Kunai down at his brother.

"Yeah," Sasuke said, turning around quickly, and blocked his brother's knife with his own, both looking at each other's Sharingan-activated eyes "it's even more tragic when it's family, ne, Itachi?" he said, pushing his brother away before jumping a couple of steps back.

Everyone turned their vision towards the scene. Sakura gasped, "Sasuke-kun!" she yelled before turning her attention back at her best friend's body. "Sakura, please, stay focused on Ino and don't worry about Sasuke-kun" Hinata said, running towards the rest of the group.

Tenten, Neji, Chouji, Kiba, Shino and Lee were standing there along with Naruto. "Naruto-kun!" she started, noticing that Naruto was angered by Itachi. He turned his head at her, still looking at the scene before moving his vision at her "I believe we should help Sasuke-kun!"

"You're right, let's―"

"AHHHH!"

The ninjas turned their heads towards Sakura and Shikamaru as they were both thrown away. Chouji and Lee ran towards Shikamaru and Sakura while Shino ordered his bugs to be on alert and Kiba let Akamaru jump out of his sweater. They all stared at Deidara who slowly stood up.

"You guys are pathetic" he said, throwing a small clay figure on the ground and soon turned into a huge clay bird. He hopped on it, ordering the bird to hold Ino's body with its tail.

"I'll make sure Ino is _dropped_ at the hospital" he said, laughing as the bird flew away. Shikamaru gritted his teeth and got up onto his feet.

"Ino!" he said, running after the bird, skipping his steps, trying to catch up to Deidara. Neji looked at the others.

"I'm going with him. Tenten, Chouji, Come with me. The rest of you, help Sasuke." he said, running off to follow Shikamaru. The rest of the gang nodded and ran towards Sasuke. Lee held Sakura by her shoulders. "Are you ok, Sakura-san?" he asked, worriedly. Sakura looked up at him and nodded. "I'm ok, Lee. Let's help the others." She said, getting up on her feet, and ran towards the others.

Lee ran towards his friends, but stopped upon seeing Gaara. He took a deep breath and walked towards him, stopping next to him. Temari and Kankurou looked up at him as he looked down at their younger sibling.

Gaara narrowed his eyes as he noticed the anger in Lee's eyes, "What in the world happened to you? Don't you remember that you promised you'll be good and you won't hurt anyone?" Lee scolded him, forcing Gaara to close his eyes.

"And Now Ino's probably dying, because of you" he said, running off to assist his friends. Gaara opened his eyes slowly, looking at nothing in particular. Temari and Kankurou looked at each other before looking at their brother.

**_"I can help you, ask for my help and I'll never say no"_** his inner voice said, forcing Gaara to squeeze his eyes shut.

_'Ino's probably dying, because of you'_ Lee's words played over and over again in his head as the sand started to gather from every side of the area, moving towards Gaara. Kankurou and Temari looked at each other before getting up, taking a couple of steps away from their brother. The sand gathered beneath Gaara and helped him up to his own feet.

He stood silent, crossing his arms. Though feeling exhausted after being tortured by his own sand for seven days in Itachi's illusionary world, he had to make things right.

"Temari, Kankurou, help them out" he said through the pain, nodding towards the rest of the gang. His siblings turned their heads towards Itachi before turning back towards their brother.

"What are you going to do, Gaara?" Kankurou asked, knotting his eyebrows. Gaara smiled, and turned around.

"I'm going to save Ino" he said, disappearing into a twister of sand.

* * *

**CLIFFIE!**** And I thought this chapter would never end. **

**If you guys are wondering about something, you'll have to wait for the next chapter.**

**Again, I remind you, the story is nearing its end but I can't believe it. I think I'm going to cry. I got so attached to this story that I can't let it go. **

**And thank you for your support all the way. So, here's a deal. **

**The more reviews I get, the more writing I do XP…he-he-he, just kidding. **

**Gaara says: Please review **


	28. Chapter 27: Illusions

AH, chapter 27. I never thought this story would reach this number. It's been a very long time since I last updated. I was busy with my finals as you all know! But here it is. I hope you guys like this chapter

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**Reviews:**

Kirri Kitty: hehehe. I'll think about making another because I already have a lot of unfinished stories that needs to be done. Once I'm finished with this one, I'll work on the others.

Itsumo Neko: Hahaha. He'll be more like throwing sand pocky's at people.

Freak-a-leak: Wow, thx for your review. I'm glad you like it.

This chapter might be longer than I expected, but don't worry, this chapter is not the end…yet!

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**READ THIS PLEASE!** I would rate this chapter M because it has a LOT of violence, for those with weak hearts, don't read. For those with weak hearts and want to continue with reading…Uh…you're on your own! I'm serious!!! It has more devastating scenes than I've ever written before.

This might be one of the longest, most twisted chapters I have ever written or read. So if you guys got lost, wait for the following chapter.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto and I'm not responsible for what's going to happen in the next episode of Shippūden or what's going to happen to you guys after you see this chapter…Over and out.

**UPDATE:** Made some changes in this chapter.

ENJOY!

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**Please remember, Chapter 27**

It was now Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Lee, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Kankurou and Temari against Uchiha Itachi. The latter was standing calmly yet firmly while the others were at full alert, Kankurou and Temari being the last to join in.

Sasuke looked at the group and narrowed his eyes. "Stay back!" he ordered, causing the others to look worriedly at him. "But, Sasuke-kun―"

"―It's a fight between me and my brother!" he continued, interrupting Sakura's words. "I knew his visit to Konoha wasn't just a friendly one" he said, glaring at his brother, taking his stance. "Is this what I'd better not know about? Is this what you've hidden from me during the past five years?" Sasuke said, causing his brother to close his eyes.

"Sasuke-kun," he started, opening his eyes to reveal his specialty, the Mangekyo Sharingan. "you've brought it on yourself!" he said, looking at each and every one of them straight in the eyes. Sasuke managed to turn his head aside, avoiding his brother's look. He looked back at his friends.

"Don't look at his eyes!" He yelled to warn them, but it was already too late. He widened his eyes when he saw no one around him.

"Sasuke-kun," Itachi said, narrowing his eyes at his brother. "you're wondering where they are, aren't you?" he asked, his dreadful voice echoing around the place. Sasuke gulped, his head was still turned to the back when he suddenly turned to look at his brother, not straight in the eye.

"Shit!" Sasuke exclaimed when he realized his brother was gone. He turned right and left, behind him, he took a couple of steps back, knowing that underground is a perfect place for an _Itachi_ like him to hide.

"SHOW YOURSELF!" Sasuke yelled, looking around him. The area surrounding him suddenly turned dark. When he turned around, looking for a hint of light, he realized that he was in a certain Tatami-floored room, a very familiar room. Sasuke realized he was standing in the Uchiha clan residence main room. Itachi was in the middle of it, looking at Sasuke with narrowed blood-red eyes. He gasped as he suddenly found himself tied to a vertical pole. Itachi smirked and formed some seals.

"Katon: Karyū Endan" he said, exhaling a long stream of incredibly hot fire which quickly engulfed Sasuke in flames, making him scream as he felt his flesh being burnt. He screamed bloody murder as he felt his skin fall off his body. Sasuke closed his eyes; the pain was horrid and unbearable; he was being burnt alive. Suddenly, he opened his eyes to see that his skin wasn't burned, and Itachi was standing a couple of feet away from him.

"I-Itachi," he mumbled, trying to untie himself from the pole. "you bastard" he spat, glaring at his brother who formed the seals again, blowing the same stream at his Younger brother. The latter screamed in pain as the situation was done over and over again, each time worse than the previous.

* * *

Hinata was wandering along a very wide and long corridor, it was dark. The light at the end of the tunnel was the only thing lighting the way. She realized, if she reached that light, she would get out of wherever she was.

"N-Neji!" she mumbled, looking around her for any sign of her cousin, "Naruto-kun!" she started to look around for any sign of her friends, but they weren't around her. She activated her Byakugan and looked through the walls, to the end of the tunnel, but she wasn't able to see anything. It was as if something was preventing her from seeing beyond the area she was in.

"Hinata-sama." she heard a voice that made her turn around. She smiled once she saw it was her fellow Hyuuga, standing still in the middle of the corridor, arms crossed.

"Neji-nii-chan!" she said, running back towards him, her speed slowed down as she saw the expression on his face. She grimaced as she remembered that look on his face.

"N-Neji-kun?" she asked, looking worriedly at her cousin. "W-Why are you l-looking at me like t-this?" she asked, fearing his intense gaze. He narrowed his eyes even more.

"Your father is the reason mine is dead!" he quietly said, causing Hinata to take a deep breath. "Your damn main house family destroyed my life. And I still can't believe that _you_ got to be a part of it, just because your father was born before my father" he said, moving his vision to the ground and closing his eyes. Hinata blinked a couple of times, holding her hand against her chest. He opened his eyes again, looking angrily at her.

"You're still as weak as you always were, Hinata-sama." he said, smirking, "You're never going to get any stronger" he said, smirking once he saw the hint of tears in her eyes. He was already getting to her.

Hinata was at the verge of tears, his words reminding her of their face-off at the Chuunin preliminary exams. She shook her head, trying to get his words out of her head.

"Neji-kun" she mumbled, taking a step back. _'This is a genjutsu. I know it is! Neji-nii-chan would never say those words to me'_ she thought, taking another step backwards. Neji watched her every move as he stood in his place, smirking at her. She turned around and ran as fast as she could towards the light.

"Where are you going, Hinata-sama?" she heard his voice, stopping her in her tracks. She gasped once she saw him standing a couple of feet away from her, in front of her.

"You're not expecting that I let you out of her without a payback, now, did you?" he asked, taking his gentle fist stance.

"Hakke Rokujuuyon Shou!" he said, as he moved in one swift move towards her, his fingers thrust at her. Everything happened very fast as she was hit everywhere on her body, at her 64 Chakura points. In a matter of seconds, no, part of seconds, she was finished as she fell backwards, hitting the ground.

Neji looked down at her, smirking evilly. "You would never make a good Ninja. You're a failure to everyone, a disgrace to your own family name" he said, giving her one last look before walking away.

"You don't deserve to be a Hyuuga!" he said, walking off, leaving Hinata lying on the ground, eyes widened and shivering, unable to move. Everything around her started to be blurry, soon turned into full darkness.

* * *

"Temari!" Kankurou yelled, looking for a sign of his blonde sibling. He looked around in the mist. _'Where has she gone to? Where has everyone gone to?'_ he thought, looking around.

"Kankurou!" he heard her voice, calling for him. He looked around, wondering where she is. Her voice seemed to echo as she called him again and again, confusing Kankurou.

"Where are you?!" he yelled, turning around a couple of times before finally finding her, standing in front of a pile of sand.

Kankurou ran towards her, and stopped once he saw what she was looking at. Kankurou wasn't quite sure what they were both looking at. He looked at his sister; her face was pale and had no expression whatsoever.

"Temari," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, noticing how tense and nervous she was. "are you ok?" He said, tilting his head to face her. She looked at him with a blank expression on her face, ironically, making her resemble Gaara in so many ways.

"We're finally in peace" she mumbled, her expressionless gaze making Kankurou shiver a bit. "Temari, What are you talking about?" he looked at the ground where the pile of sand used to be, his eyes widened.

"G-Ga…" he stuttered, not able to even say his name, "G-Gaara!" he mumbled, looking at his brother's dead body lying in front of him, his body cut and slashed in so many places. Temari chuckled quietly, her chuckles soon turned to laughter. Kankurou looked with fear at his sister as her laughter turned into a maniacal one.

"What did you do?!" he yelled, holding his sister's shoulders as she continued to laugh non-stop. "Did you kill him, Temari? Did you!?" he asked, pointing at his brother's dead body. Temari suddenly stopped, looking evilly at her brother

"You're about to meet the same fate!" she said, jumping a couple of feet backwards as she pulled her fan off her back.

"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!" She yelled, swinging the fan at her brother. He was caught off guard as the winds started to cut him in several places. He kneeled on the ground, realizing that the cuts were deeper than he imagined.

"T-Temari!" he mumbled, looking at his sister who held the open fan behind her back, revealing the three blue stars. Kankurou, knowing that he had to stop his sister in anyway possible, reached for the three scrolls on his back. But to his surprise, he found only one.

_'What?! Where are the rest?'_ he asked himself, knowing for sure that they were with him.

"You usually won't survive after seeing these, but," she said, referring to the stars. Temari closed her fan and put it in its place on her back. "I won't kill you," she said, smirking at him. "not with this, that is." she said as blue Chakura appeared on the tips of her fingers, soon turned into Chakura strings. Kankurou gasped as he realized what she was about to do.

"You can't!" he said, seeing that his sister was moving her fingers in a specific way, _his own_ specific way that he use to move his puppets.

"Karasu, Kuroari!" she yelled, causing the three-eyed, four-armed humanoid puppet and the ant-like puppet to jump down from nowhere to stand in front of her. Kankurou's eyes were widened as he saw that his sister was manipulating _his_ puppets.

He growled, pulling the only scroll on his back and laid it down on the ground, opening it, knowing which puppet was in this scroll.

"Sanshouo!" he yelled, as his salamander-like puppet appeared in a puff of smoke. Kankurou gritted his teeth. _'It's my only defense against my own puppets. The problem is that he doesn't have any offensive techniques that could help me stop her'_

Temari, still in control of Karasu and Kuroari, smirked. She ordered Karasu to attack; only its attacks were stopped by Sanshouo's back shield which stood so high that it blocked Kankurou's vision of Temari as he was kneeling. He chuckled, nervously.

"You're not expecting to defeat me with my own puppets" he yelled, making sure his sister is to hear him.

"Oh, Yes, I am!" she yelled, ordering Karasu to move at an incredible speed, a speed Kankurou never knew his puppet could go at. He was startled when Karasu managed to penetrate Sanshouo's defense and started to slash its attacks down at Kankurou, the latter taking a couple of steps back, jumping and dodging to avoid his puppets attack.

"Right into the trap, Kankurou!" she yelled, causing her brother to look back and curse. Kuroari was set behind him; its body was opened to reveal the trap Kankurou made especially in it. He stopped, avoiding falling back into the trap. Unfortunately, Karasu slashed and gashed down on Kankurou, causing the latter to trip and get trapped inside Kuroari, the latter closing its hollow trap to reveal number of holes on the sides of his body.

Temari laughed as she ordered Karasu to separate his limps from his body, revealing the hidden blades on the tip of each of its limps. Kankurou was seeing the whole scene from the small holes in the sides of Kuroari. His eyes widened as he saw the blades coming down at him.

He could hear Temari laugh as Kuroari was impaled by Karasu, Kankurou gasped for breath as he felt his puppet's limps penetrate his body, feeling the blades inside his chest, arms and stomach. He saw his own blood coming out of his body; he knew this was the end of everything. Ironically, his end was by his own puppets, controlled by the closest person to him.

"S-Shit!" he mumbled, before everything turned black.

* * *

"What in the world?" Temari said as she looked at her surroundings. She realized she was in her hometown, Sunagakure. "Wasn't I in Konoha?" she asked herself, looking around; the village seemed to be empty. No one was in the streets, the houses were wrecks and it looked like one of those haunted villages.

"Where's everybody?" she asked, looking as far as her eyes can see.

"They're gone, Temari" she turned around to see Baki, one of the powerful Jonins in Sunagakure and her former sensei.

"Baki, what's going on?" she asked, crossing her arms. Baki smirked, "Why don't you ask Kazekage-sama? He's up there!" he said, pointing at the top of the ball-shaped building, where The Kazekage looked down at both of them, dressed in the usual white and blue Kazekage uniform, except the hat was taken off. She gasped.

"Dō-sama!" she said, looking at the fourth Kazekage, her father. She blinked a couple of times, making sure the distance wasn't fooling her.

"Baki," she said, turning around, "Kazekage-sama is―" she stopped when she realized that she was alone. She looked right and left for a sign of the Jonin, but there was none.

Temari sighed, looking back at her father whose intense gaze almost burned her. She moved her vision back to the road in front of her as she made her way towards the Kazekage building.

In a matter of seconds, she reached the top of the building. The sandy wind was hitting her face as the place was very high. Temari took a couple of steps towards the Kazekage, carefully making sure not to make him feel uncomfortable.

She knew her father was a strict man. He told his children, whenever he's in his Kazekage uniform, or he's inside that building, he should be addressed as Kazekage-sama, even when it comes to his own children. Temari seemed to forget that fact.

"Dō-sama!" She started, causing him to turn sharply at her. "What did I tell you about that?" he firmly said; his naturally eye-lined eyes piercing almost through her. That was one of the reasons she feared him.

"Forgive me, Kazekage-sama" She said, kneeling and lowering her vision to the ground as a respect to her father. He looked patronizingly at her before turning his head back at the scenery of Sunagakure. Temari lifted her head, looking at her father as he went silent.

"Kazekage-sama" She started, getting up. He stood there, the wind blow at both of them again. He looked at the scenery and breathed deeply.

"It's gone; everything" he said, causing Temari to narrow her eyes. "I should've killed him when I had the chance" he talked, moving his hands behind his back.

"It's partially your fault as well, Temari" he said, turning his head to the side. "You failed me"

Temari widened her eyes, _'Failed him?'_ she thought, her lips quivering. To her, making her father proud was everything to her. She knew since she was a little girl, after Gaara's birth and her mother's death, she knew that she was the mother, the sister and the responsible one in the family, being the oldest of the children. Her father, the fourth Kazekage, being always busy, made her responsible for her two younger brothers, telling her:

_'Temari, I want you to protect your brothers no matter what. You've become such a strong Kunoichi and I know you'll do your best in protecting them. Make sure you keep an eye on Gaara as well'_

She froze in her place, hearing her father's words of disappointment made her eyes water. Temari wasn't the emotional type of girls, but when it comes to reputation and pride, she would be the first to react to it.

"You've failed me when I gave you the responsibility. Gaara has destroyed the whole village while you were in Konohagakure messing with that Nara, such an irresponsible act." he angrily said, referring to Shikamaru. Temari looked at the ground with shame, listening to her father's painful words over and over again.

"I've failed you, Kazekage-sama" she mumbled, closing her eyes as tears made their way down her cheeks.

"That's what you're good at, crying. When your mother died, when you tripped as a little girl, it's a good time you start to cry once you've failed everyone in Suna." He said, looking at his daughter patronizingly.

"I disown you as my daughter. You're nothing but a mere pig to me" he said, walking off, leaving Temari in a devastated state. She fell to her knees, crying silently.

"I-I don't want to be a Kunoichi anymore" she said, burying her face in her hands and crying her heart out. "I don't want to live like this anymore. I," she mumbled, lying fully on the ground, sobbing silently.

"I give up" she said, closing her eyes as she felt herself drift into unconsciousness.

* * *

"Oi, Akamaru. Do you have any idea where we are?" Kiba asked his nin-dog; the latter frowned and lowered his head to the ground as a sign of being as confused as him. Kiba looked around. He was in the middle of what seemed to be Konoha forest. A moment ago, he was at the mountain. Then, in a flash, he found himself in that place.

Kiba stopped looking around and focused more on his partner as the latter started to sniff the air before looking up at his owner and barking twice.

Kiba's eyes widened, "Akamaru, are you sure nee-chan is around here?" he asked his dog who barked again as a positive reply. Kiba looked in the distance, as far as he eyes could see.

"We have to find her, Akamaru, Let's go" he said, running off, followed by his nin-dog.

A couple of minutes of searching between the high and branch-tangled trees, he found no sign of his sister.

"Akamaru, Are you sure―" he stopped as he raised his vision from his dog to what was behind him, a couple of trees away from their position. He froze when he saw his sister, Inuzuka Hana, holding in her arms one of the dogs they owned, a very important one.

"Nee-chan!" he yelled, running to her. She looked up at him, her eyes puffed and her face was wet with tears. He stopped a couple of feet away, looking at the canine in her arms.

"Kuromaru" he mumbled, looking at his mother's canine and wolfish partner who was in his sister's arms. She sobbed as she looked at the ground.

"I had no other choice, I had to put him down" she said, caressing the wolf's black fur. Kiba knotted his eyebrows.

"Put down?" he mumbled, looking at Kuromaru. Kiba knew his sister was emotional when it comes to putting animals down. Being a veterinarian, Hana was close to animals. She literally understood them, especially the ones their family owned. When they got hurt, she would try her best to heal them, but never to kill them.

Kiba narrowed his eyes, "Hana," he said, causing his sister to look up at him. "where's mother? Kuromaru is always with her. Where is she?" he asked, looking around.

"She's, she's gone" she said, sobbing harder. Kiba's eyes widened as he froze in his place, shocked. "She's dead"

"D-Dead?" he stuttered, before shaking his head. "What do you mean dead?!!" he yelled, causing his sister to flinch. Kiba breathed heavily, he never thought he would lose his mother, never wanted to think about that possibility. Yet, now he was faced with that fact. He kneeled in front of his sister, looking at her straight in the eye.

"H-How?!" he muttered, bracing himself by putting his hand on the ground. She closed her eyes, holding her tears back.

"It was the reason I had to put Kuromaru down," she said, clutching the fur of her mother's nin-dog. "but I was too late, too late" she said, crying. Kiba blinked a couple of times, not believing what he had heard.

"Do you mean that Kuromaru…?" he said, looking at it. She nodded, "The poison that Akamaru had been exposed to have showed up again. This time, it infected Kuromaru and the Haimaru Sankyodai" she said, referring to her group of ash colored nin-dogs. "I've never managed to find them. They could be anywhere" she said, lowering her vision to the ground.

Kiba got up on his two feet, looking away, his hands balled into fists. "We have to finish them off as well, right?" he asked his sister, but she didn't reply. He looked back where his sister was, but to his surprise, she was gone.

"What in the world is going on here?" he mumbled, turning right and left before looking at the opposite direction, his back facing Akamaru. "Akamaru, wasn't Hana here a second ago―" he stopped talking once he heard the low growl of his nin-dog. He slowly turned around, looking at it.

"A-Akamaru!" he mumbled when he saw his trusted partner's fur was turning red and its fangs and body were getting larger. Kiba stood in his place, trying to figure out what happened to his companion.

_'Was he also somehow exposed to that disease?'_ he asked himself, remembering the last time the same situation happened; Akamaru couldn't recognize its master.

_'This is bad!'_ he said, slowly gulping as he froze in his place. Akamaru grew to the fact that he stood up to 170 centimeters high. Kiba knew if Akamaru noticed any tense movement from him, it would be the end.

He breathed slowly, avoiding making a sound as Akamaru took one step closer to him. The dog's breath was hitting his face, its saliva falling to the ground as Akamaru gritted its teeth at him. Kiba was able to hear something in the bushes, causing him to slowly turn his head to the side. His eyes widened once he noticed that it was his sister's dogs.

"Nee-chan no Haimaru Sankyodai" he mumbled, as the three grey-colored dogs surrounded him along with Akamaru. He looked at each and every one of them, knowing that they don't recognize their owner anymore, knowing that if he tried to run, they would easily catch up to him.

He looked at his partner right in the eye, trying to find a way to tell him to stop what he was doing, finding a way to let Akamaru look back at him and know that it was Inuzuka Kiba, his friend and companion, the one who raised him ever since he was a small puppy. Kiba chuckled, knowing that there's nothing to be done.

"I'm sorry, Hana-chan, Mother" he said, smiling, "Akamaru, forgive me for not trying" he said, taking a deep breath before suddenly sprinting and running off between the trees. He soon heard the growling sound of the nin-dogs as they followed him, their footsteps getting closer to him, he could sense them, smell them, see them as they were about to hunt him down.

_'I am just as idiotic as I thought'_ he thought as he ran faster. He jumped over the fallen branches, avoided the sharp twigs and maneuvered between the smaller trees in hopes he would run away from them.

Kiba stopped, realizing that no one was following him, "What in the world is happening?" he said, turning around. There was no sign of the Sankyodai or Akamaru. He sighed, before sharply turning his head to the right to see that Akamaru was lunging at him, its six-centimeter long claws ahead of him.

Kiba froze once he felt sharp pain through his neck. He stood for a couple of seconds, reaching his hand to touch his neck which was severely wounded as the blood was coming out non-stop. Kiba gasped for breath, rolled his eyes and fell to the ground before taking his last breaths. He took one last look at his companion with a smile on his face, before welcoming the darkness without a fight.

* * *

He opened his eyes to find himself in a village he didn't recognize, it was raining and the weather was cold.

Shino took a deep breath and started walking. He didn't know where he was going, all he knew that his legs were leading him somewhere. He looked in the distance to see his father, or what looked like his figure. As he walked closer, the figure was disappearing into the rain. He blinked a couple of times as he started running after the figure, running through the empty street of the village until he reached a building with big doors.

Luckily for him, his hood and heavy clothes were protective from the rain. He slowly moved his hands towards the door and pushed, but the door didn't budge. He kept on trying, but no avail. Suddenly, the area became misty, only the mist was purple colored. In a matter of seconds, Shino screamed in pain, looking at his hands.

_'What the hell is this?!'_ he asked, looking at his hands, seeing his bugs go wild beneath his skin, causing him to look around, look for the source of that purple gas.

He winced once he felt the sharp sting beneath his skin. He looked at his hands again to see that the movement of the bugs has increased, along with the amount of rain. Their movement wasn't unusual to Shino, because his body was their host. But to move at such a fast rate, Shino knew something was wrong. He took one last look at his hands before raising his head, to see his father standing in front of him.

"Your life ends here, Shino, your bugs have sensed your fear and betrayal" he said, walking away. Shino knotted his eyebrows, not quite understanding his father's words, causing him to take a couple of steps in his father's direction before stopping in his tracks.

Shino suddenly screamed in pain as he felt his flesh being torn from the inside; his bugs have gone ballistic and unstoppable. He tried his best to stop their movement but no avail. As the rain started to fall heavier than it would usually do, Shino couldn't help it and fell to his knees, clutching the sides of his head as he felt the bugs move towards it. He screamed once he realized that his body was being destroyed, and he was alive to feel his bugs destroy their host, something no one would wish for, something that no Aburame clan member would think of. He closed his eyes as he felt himself become heavy, falling face down on the ground.

* * *

"Where the hell are we?" Naruto asked, looking around as he was in an almost dark corridor. It was lit by torches that hung on the wall along the walk way. Lee was there with him, shrugging his shoulders as a reply to his question.

"Beats me" he said, trying to find a way out of the place they were in. "How did we get here in the first place?" he continued, crossing his arms. Naruto sighed, "Genjutsu. One of Itachi's specialties, that's for sure" Naruto said, looking around the four-meter wide corridor. Lee picked one of the torches hung on the walls and lifted it high so it would light as wide as it could.

"Do you see anything?"

"Not a thing!"

They both frustratingly sighed while Naruto took the torch from Lee's hand "Let's move along, I'm sure we'll find a way out" Naruto said, walking ahead of Lee who silently followed.

Half an hour of walking had past, Lee and Naruto haven't found an exit.

"Man, this tunnel-thingy doesn't end, does it?" Lee said, looking at the end of the corridor which was simply pitch black. "I can't believe I'm going to spend the rest of my youthful life here" he said, looking at the ground. Naruto sighed heavily, crossed his arms and sat on the ground, Indian style, pushing his back against the wall. Lee looked quizzically at him.

"What are you doing?" Lee asked, crossing his arms at Naruto who squeezed his eyes shut

"Waiting" He exclaimed, doing nothing in particular. Lee knotted his eyebrows, not following his friend.

"What do you mean waiting? We might never get out of here"

"Exactly!" Naruto said, looking up at his friend. Lee smirked and shook his head. "Aha. That's a smart idea. You don't want us to waste our Energy" Lee said, sitting down next to his friend. Naruto laughed, "You know it-ttebayo" he said, looking right and left for a way out.

"So, you're basically going to wait for what?" Lee said, leaving Naruto to complete his thoughts. Naruto chuckled, "We're waiting for Itachi to run out of Chakura" he said, grinning goofily. Lee gaped, "_That's_ your plan? That guy is a _tank_! He got us all in his illusion! I _really_ doubt he ever runs out of Chakura" Lee said, getting up. Naruto threw his hands in the air.

"Where do _you_ think you're going?" He asked, causing Lee to turn around and face him. "I'm going to find us a way out of here, Naruto-kun" he said, walking away with the torch. "You'll be back here in no time, trust me" He said as he watched his friend walk away to his left, disappearing into the darkness.

A couple of minutes later, Naruto felt frustrated. It felt like hours have passed since Lee walked away and he didn't return yet. Naruto looked at his left for any sign of the bushy-browed ninja, but there was none.

He stood up, resting his hands on his wait frustratingly, facing the side where Lee went to. "Where are you, Lee?" he asked himself.

"Naruto-kun, how did you get here?" Naruto screamed, turning around. "L-Lee?!" he asked, blinking a couple of times. Lee looked behind him, then at Naruto.

"Didn't I just leave you behind?" Lee asked, pointing behind him and looking quizzically at Naruto. Naruto pointed at the opposite direction.

"Didn't you just go this way?" Naruto asked, narrowing his eyes at Lee. Lee widened his eyes, jumping a couple of steps away from Naruto.

"You're not Naruto-kun!"

Lee said, narrowing their eyes at each other. Naruto stood there, gaping at his friend's reaction. Lee smirked, "Your reaction indicates that you're not Naruto-kun, and for that, I will fight you" Lee said, running towards the blonde-ninja. Naruto's eyes widened as Lee jumped and did his famous roundhouse kick.

"Konoha Senpū!" Lee yelled, sending his kick at Naruto who blocked it and was thrown a couple of feet away from Lee.

"STOP IT, LEE!" Naruto exclaimed, causing Lee to stop for a minute. "This is what he wants! He wants us to fight and waste our Chakura!" Naruto said, holding his hands up in defense. Lee raised both eyebrows in surprise.

"Ooh, so that's what it is" he said, nodding slowly. "So how do you explain yourself being ahead of me?" Lee said, looking behind him at the dark end of the corridor.

Naruto looked at the ground, thinking. "I don't know" he said, rubbing his chin. Lee nodded before looking at Naruto with a bright expression on his face.

"I have an Idea, wait here!" he said, running back to where he came from. Naruto sighed and crossed his arms.

"This guy is weird" he said, looking at the ground. A couple of seconds later, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Lee.

"You're back," Naruto said, narrowing his eyes. "from the opposite direction" he exclaimed, shaking his head. "I'm lost" he said, sighing heavily. Lee chuckled.

"It's a loop!" he said, throwing his hands to the side. "We're going round and round in a circle, get it?" Lee explained, moving his finger in a circular motion, causing Naruto to be surprised.

"Oh," he said, changing his surprised expression into a sly one, "how did you know that, Lee?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I don't know, I just figured" he said, looking at the ground thinking. "If we're going round and round in a closed circle then the only way to get out of here is to..." he said, looking at the walls. Naruto looked at the wall and smirked, "And they say that I'm the fox, ne?" Naruto exclaimed, looking slyly at his hardworking friend as they both started hitting the wall with everything they've got; kicks, punches, Rasengan. That plan almost made Lee use his Omote renge if it wasn't for Naruto to stop him.

As they continued to break the wall, small pieces of the brick started to fall, indicating that the wall was starting to collapse. Both Naruto and Lee looked at each other and grinned as they continued as hard as they can to break free.

* * *

She opened her eyes, looking around. _'Where am I?'_ she asked herself as she was met with pure darkness.

"Well, isn't this forehead-girl?" she heard a voice say. As she turned around, she realized who it was.

"I-Ino!" she said, widening her eyes. Ino smirked in front of her, "You think Sasuke-kun will fall for you with that large forehead?" she continued, resting her hand on her hip.

Sakura smirked, "That won't work on me, Itachi. I know that this is an illusion" Sakura said, crossing her arms. Ino laughed, narrowing her eyes.

"You're wrong!" Ino exclaimed, walking closer to Sakura. "If you think you're loved by everyone around you, you're wrong. They all left you alone, Sakura-chan" she sarcastically said. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be the same old pathetic girl who cried about almost anything" Ino said, narrowing her eyes as she saw she was already affecting her.

Sakura shook her head, gulping. _'Genjutsu, remember, it's just genjutsu'_ Sakura said, forming a seal with her hands.

"KAI!" she yelled, closing her eyes as she released herself from the illusion. Once she opened them, she found herself on the mountain, right where she was standing in the first place, except that what she saw made her gasp.

All of them, all of her friends were lying on the ground, unconscious. Blood was all over the place as she looked at each and every one of them, wondering about their status.

"I believe you're the only one who managed to make it out alive. Unfortunately, you're too late" Itachi said, his cold expression didn't change. She shivered, her lips quivered and her eyes started to tear. Seeing all of them; Sasuke, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Naruto, Lee, Kankurou and Temari all were lying on the ground without any motion indicating their vitality.

"What are you going to do, Sakura-chan?" Itachi said in a sarcastic tone, making Sakura breathe heavily and get frustrated. "You can't do anything, Sakura; you're just a burden to them. The last memory in their head was you standing like an idiot without helping them while they begged for it. That's who you've always been, that's who you are and that's who you always will be, Sakura" he said, narrowing his eyes, "A burden is all you can ever be." He said, smirking behind his chin-high collared shirt.

Her tears rolled down her cheeks as she looked at them, one by one, thinking about how she failed them, not once, not twice but many times. She was the only one left standing among them. If they weren't a match for Uchiha Itachi, she knew she wouldn't be one either. She lowered her vision to the ground and just cried, cried because she wasn't able to help them, and she never will be.

"You always cry. That's who you are, Sakura. A cry baby" he said, narrowing his eyes at her.

"It's over, Haruno Sakura" he said, forcing her to look up at him. She looked up to see him making certain seals before holding his right hand up in front of his mouth.

"Katon," he said, pulling his head back and taking a deep breath. Sakura knew this was the end; he was performing the Uchiha's most famous jutsu.

"Goukakyū no jutsu" he said, before a Great Fireball was blown out of his mouth and towards Sakura who froze instantly.

_'I-I can't move!'_ she thought as the ball came closer, her vision moved towards their bodies as they were disappearing into the flames coming closer to her.

_'Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Anyone, help me'_ she thought, closing her eyes, already feeling the heat radiating from the fireball reaching up to her.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! Muahahahahaha.**

**Confused? Lost? Thinking whether this was the right story or not you guys were reading? It is, just a small twist I wanted to add! **

**It's been a while, guys. I'm so very deeply truly serious honestly sorry for being this late. But I started my finals on Saturday and I'm going to finish them on Monday. See ya then!! **

**This story is nearing its end. This chapter sucks now, doesn't it?! No Gaara in this episode, WAAAA!! I guarantee that he will appear in the next one, I promise, because I've already thought of next chapter's plot!!!!!! **

**Please review! Love Y'all!!**


	29. Chapter 28: The Ultimate fight

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**Reviews:**

Itsumo Neko: Ha-ha. I Will do. It's in the bottom of the page XD

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Wow, not too many reviews. Anyways, thank you guys for your support. This might be the semi-finale chapter. It's going out to everyone who supported me along the way. God bless you guys!

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**Please remember, Chapter 28 **

_'I-I can't move!'_ she thought as the ball came closer, her vision moved towards her friends' bodies as they were disappearing into the flames as it was coming closer to her.

_'Sasuke-kun, Naruto, Anyone, help me'_ she thought, closing her eyes, already feeling the heat which radiated from the fireball reaching up to her.

She squeezed her eyes as she felt it getting closer, she gasped once she felt herself being carried away, going to the side as fast as her body can.

"What's going on!?" she asked herself, noticing that she was floating in midair. Then all of the sudden, she found herself in Lee's arms and Naruto's hands were on her shoulders.

"Good. Go help the rest" Lee said, helping Sakura to her feet. She kept watching Naruto go back and forth between the others, forcing his Chakura into their system to get them out of the Itachi's illusion.

When they were out of it, everyone fell to their knees, exhausted of the experience they went through. Naruto stood in front of them, standing up against Itachi.

"You didn't see that coming, now, did ya?" he said, grinning victoriously. Itachi smirked, "You sure have improved, Naruto-kun" he said, looking at everyone else. Sasuke was the first to get up on his feet.

"Bastard, I'm going to finish you off" he said, taking his stance. Everyone managed to pull themselves together and take their stance against Itachi.

Sakura was behind them all, standing with Lee. The latter noticed the pink-haired girl's anxiety as she was spacing out. "Are you ok?" he asked, looking worriedly at her. She looked at him and nodded, "Yes, I-I'm ok" she said, looking at the ground.

_"That's who you've always been, that's who you are and that's who you always will be, Sakura, a burden."_

His words rung in her ears, making her look at the ground and narrow her eyes. "Sakura-san," Lee's voice brought her back, making her look at him, "whatever Itachi said, don't let it get to you. Everything he said was a lie, got it?" he said, reassuringly nodding at her. She stared at him for a while, blinked, then nodded, "Right!" she exclaimed, smiling before turning her head towards Itachi.

"Let's kick his butt" she said, both she and Lee took their stance.

"This is going to be one hell of a fight" Lee said, smirking. Everyone was prepared and ready attack, Lee and Sakura being in the back behind Kankurou and Temari. Shino, Hinata and Kiba stood in the front of them, behind Sasuke and Naruto who led the team.

"You'll pay for this, Itachi" Sasuke said, glaring at his brother and activating his Sharingan, glancing at Naruto who was smirking. "Everyone ready?" Naruto said, making everyone ready to attack.

"Finish him!"

* * *

Deidara was flying on his bird, taking a glance at Ino who was held by the bird's tail. He turned his head back to the front to see the hospital, not too far away.

"Are you ready to be dropped, cousin? Hmmm" he said, chuckling as he ordered his clay bird to fly at full speed.

* * *

Shikamaru, Neji, Tenten and Chouji were following Deidara on their feet, running and pacing, jumping from roof to roof as fast as they can.

"Damn it, Neji," Tenten said, "we're falling behind!" she exclaimed, glancing at Neji who was ahead of her and Chouji, trying as hard as they can to follow up with Shikamaru.

Both of them were out of Chakura, "We haven't got the chance to recover from our encounter with Gaara." Neji told Shikamaru who nodded, panting. "We have to get to Ino no matter what. I won't let her die" Shikamaru said, stomping his foot on one of the roofs, increasing his speed.

Chouji and Tenten were starting to catch up to the two. Tenten noticed that Neji was starting to get exhausted. "Neji, pull yourself together!" Tenten said, causing Neji to glare at her. "I'm okay!" he said, increasing his pace. She rolled her eyes and increased her pace, making Chouji do the same.

"Almost there!" Shikamaru mumbled, as he was a couple of buildings away from the hospital. Suddenly, he gasped, eyes widened.

"SHIT!" Shikamaru exclaimed, causing everyone to look where he was looking. Deidara was looking back at them. He raised his index and middle finger in a salute.

"Let's see how fast you are when it comes to helping a friend!" he yelled, ordering his bird to let go of Ino.

And it did.

"INO!" Shikamaru yelled, pacing as fast as he could. Chouji, Neji and Tenten sped up as well. To them, it was a horrifying scene, seeing Ino's body drop from hundreds of feet, towards the hospital.

"Damn, we won't make it in time!"

"SHUT UP, TENTEN!"

Shikamaru lost his patience for the first time in years. It was all in slow motion, as he was only two buildings away from her, but he calculated it.

She would hit the ground before he ever makes it to her.

"INO!" he yelled, almost reaching for her. Ino's unconscious body hit the building with a loud crash, making all three gasp and stop in their place, one building away from the Hospital.

Tenten was at the verge of tears while Chouji and Neji were in total shock. Shikamaru stood there, shocked of what just happened.

"INO, NO!!" he yelled, jumping towards the building. When he reached where she was, he narrowed his eyes.

"It can't be" he mumbled, the others joining him. "Shikamaru!" Neji said, looking at where Ino fell. Tenten and Chouji looked at where the others were looking and heaved a sigh.

"It's a miracle!" Tenten mumbled, looking at Ino who was lying on a cushion of sand. Shikamaru looked all around; there was only one person who could control of sand.

"Gaara." he mumbled, looking everywhere. The others started searching for a sign of the _ultimate weapon_. Deidara, who was still hovering over the area, cursed while looking at Ino's body.

"You had to ruin everything, ne, Gaara?" he said, angrily. He raised his vision from them to the space in front of him. His eyes widened once he saw what looked like a brownish spear coming at him from below. He bent backwards, dodging it.

"What the hell?" he mumbled, looking at the spear which flew a couple of feet away before falling downwards. The spear dissolved into grains of sand. _'It's made of sand'_ Deidara turned his vision towards the source of that spear.

"You." he mumbled, looking at Gaara who was standing a couple of buildings away from both Deidara and the others.

"Shikamaru," Chouji said, pointing at the building. "there he is!" he exclaimed, causing everyone to look at Gaara who was standing still, arms crossed.

He was glaring at Deidara while turning his head at the guys, quickly shifting his vision towards them.

Gaara was staring at Shikamaru all the time, as if he was trying to tell him something. Shikamaru wasn't quite getting what he was trying to say, but he knew what he wanted to do.

"Neji," Shikamaru started, not breaking the eye contact with Gaara. "make sure you stop Deidara." he continued, taking a couple of steps towards Ino's body, moving his arms beneath it and lifted her, watching the sand fly towards its owner and into the his gourd.

"I'm taking her to the hospital. Stop him with everything you can!" he said, looking at Deidara, before moving his vision at Gaara, nodding. Shikamaru jumped off of the roof and towards the hospital entrance. Neji, Tenten and Chouji looked up at Deidara, "Can I ask a question?" Chouji said, causing Tenten and Neji to look at him. Chouji kept his eyes glued at Deidara, narrowing them.

"How are we going to attack him from that distance?!" he asked, causing Tenten and Neji to look at each other, gulping.

"He's right, you know" Tenten said, looking up at Deidara. They all narrowed their eyes, putting their hope in the one they were originally after, Gaara.

* * *

"Finish him!" he yelled, forming his seal. "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu" he yelled, creating two shadow clones, helping him making Rasengan in both hands. He charged at Itachi with full strength,

"Rasengan!" he yelled, thrusting his palms towards Itachi, throwing the spheres at him. Itachi easily managed to dodge them and formed seals, exhaling small balls of fire towards each and every one of them. Everyone managed to dodge the balls, one of them was going towards Shino who made a bugs shield, protecting himself. The one going towards Hinata fell in front of her legs, not hitting her. She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes.

"That's it!" she said, activating her Byakugan, and ran towards him. "Jūken!" she yelled, sending her hands towards him. _'If I could only land one hit'_ she thought, thrusting her Chakura-charged hands towards him, but he was dodging it easily. _'Damn it, he's fast' _she said, sending one last hit at him which landed on him. A puff of smoke appeared in his place.

"Kage Bunshin?" she said, turning around to find him. He was standing a couple of feet away from them. Kiba decided to finally join the battle. "Shikyaku no Jutsu" he said, transforming himself into his animalistic self; longer claws and on all fours

Akamaru jumped on his owner's back. "Jūjin Bunshin" he said, causing Akamaru to transform himself into a Kiba clone. They both jumped in the air and slapped their palms against each other's, giving both the torque to spin.

"Gatsūga!" he yelled, his and Akamaru's body turning into small drills which spun against each other, forming one huge drill. They charged at Itachi who couldn't avoid it and was sent a couple of feet away. They all looked at Kiba and grinned, giving him thumbs up.

"Good job, Kiba" Naruto said, turning back to face Itachi who was slowly getting up, looking at all of them. _'That's impossible!'_ he thought, not believing that he's not able to defeat a couple of teenagers.

Kankurou opened two of his scrolls and laid them on the ground. "Come out, Karasu! Kuroari!" he yelled, causing the two puppets to appear in a puff of smoke.

"Dokugiri Zuyoku, Baribari Shikaku Renpatsu" Kankurou said, performing the two's technique, Poison Fog, Blind Spot Destroyer, As Karasu fogged the area where Itachi stood with smokescreen, blinding him.

_'What's going on?'_ Itachi asked, looking around. _'This is bad'_ he thought as he noticed Kuroari's poison needles heading right towards him, causing him to smirk. _'I guess he's forgotten that I possess Sharingan'_ he said, flash-stepping a couple of feet to the side.

Kankurou narrowed his eyes, "That didn't work!" he said, turning his attention towards Sasuke who was forming seals and standing a couple of feet away from his brother.

"Katon, Ryuuka no jutsu" he yelled, exhaling a dragon of flames towards his brother who managed to jump, dodging the attack; however, while Itachi was in midair, he noticed Temari running towards him.

"Daikamaitachi no Jutsu!" Temari yelled, sending sharp winds towards the Uchiha with her huge fan, cutting him in several places. Itachi's eyes widened, while he was recovering in mid air, he felt someone's presence behind him.

"Kage Buyo!" Lee yelled, doing his famous Shadow dance, appearing beneath Itachi's body in the same trajectory. Itachi turned his head to the side, eyes widened.

"You couldn't see it with your Sharingan, did you?" Lee said, wrapping Itachi in his arm bandages. Lee grabbed Itachi in a bear hug and pile-drove him to the ground, spinning rapidly.

"Omote renge!" he yelled, before hitting the ground with a huge crash, causing the sand to dust the area, making it almost foggy. The rest of the gang stood still, watching whether Itachi was finished or not.

"Did we do it?" Sakura asked, narrowing her eyes at the scene. "I can't see a thing." Kankurou exclaimed, using his hand to protect his eyes from the sand. Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked around.

"He's not there!" she looked all over the place; there was no sign of the Uchiha, causing everyone to be in total shock. Temari opened her fan and swung it, clearing the area from the dust. When it was cleared, they all noticed that Lee was the only one standing there.

"He's gone!" she mumbled, holding the fan to the side. Lee was as surprised as everyone else. He was sure he attacked Itachi, but he was nowhere in sight. Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"Itachi, C'mon out!" he yelled, turning around. "Are you afraid of your own little brother?" he yelled on top of his lungs. Everyone was on full alert, taking on different sides of the area.

Sakura was looking around when she looked at Lee who was already exhausted. "Lee, are you alright?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. He looked at her, grinned and gave her a thumb up. "I'm fine, don't worry" he said, reassuringly nodding at her. She nodded back, before turning her head to the side, looking for Itachi. Lee smiled and turned his head the other way, but something in Sakura's direction caught his attention, causing him to quickly turn his head towards her. He ran towards her, warning her.

"Sakura, Watch out!" Lee said, causing Sakura to look at him. Itachi was right behind her, swinging his hand down at her. Everything happened so fast as Sakura turned around and blocked his attack. Lee stopped in the middle of his movement and gaped.

"When you said I didn't save everyone," she said, smirking, "you were wrong" Sakura said before pushing Itachi away from her and doing a couple of back flips to stand a couple of feet away. She raised her fist and hit the ground which cracked at impact, the cracks moving towards Itachi. To his misfortune, he was standing near the cliff. Itachi took a glance behind him before looking at Sakura, smirking.

"See you around" he said, falling backwards down the cliff. Sakura gasped and looked down the cliff to see him falling down.

"Oh no, you won't!" Sasuke yelled, running towards the cliff. Sakura turned around just in time to see him jump down the cliff towards his older brother.

"Sasuke, no!" she yelled, trying to prevent him from following his brother but no avail, he was already down the cliff.

Itachi's eyes widened once he saw his brother coming down at him. "Sasuke." he mumbled, narrowing his eyes, looking at his brother who was coming down at him

"It's not over yet" he yelled, getting a grip of his brother's ankles, "Hayabusa Otoshi!" Sasuke yelled, still holding his brother's ankles. He wrapped his ankles around Itachi's waist and drove him head first into the ground. Everyone gaped once Itachi hit the ground with a loud crash. Sakura feared the worst.

"Sasuke-kun!" she yelled, getting up and going to the side of the mountain where the main walkway to the mountain was. Everyone followed her quickly as they were all worried about Sasuke.

* * *

Sasuke struggled to get up; the power of the impact was strong enough to hurt him. He leaned on the rocks beside him, looking at his brother.

"It's over" he mumbled, looking at Itachi's unconscious body. He leaned against the rocks, panting. _'I'm out of Chakura'_ he thought, letting his body slide against the rocks and to the ground, causing him to grimace; the rocks probably hurt his back.

"Sasuke-kun!" he heard a familiar voice calling his name, making him turn his head to the side. "Sakura" he mumbled, smiling as he saw her running towards him, her usual worried expression was on her face. Naruto was the first to get there after Sakura, followed by everyone else.

"Is he dead?" he asked, looking at Sasuke who was already in Sakura's arms. He shook his head, closing his eyes as Sakura hugged him. Hinata took a couple of steps towards Itachi's body and activated her Byakugan.

"No, he's not dead. But he's out of Chakura. I bet his Genjutsu made him lose all the Chakura he had" Hinata exclaimed, causing Naruto to look at Lee and grin.

"Ha, what did I tell ya?" Naruto said, punching Lee in the shoulder. The latter yelled. "HEY, Watch the shoulder!" he said, rubbing his shoulder. Naruto gave Lee a quizzical looked before shaking his head and turning his attention towards Itachi's body.

"Why didn't he avoid your attack?" Kiba asked, looking at Sasuke. The latter smirked and looked at his brother. "By the time he fell off the cliff, he was, like Hinata said, out of Chakura. Not to mention that overusing Sharingan would hurt your eyesight. He was practically blind and couldn't calculate when the impact was to happen" he said, closing his eyes and sighing heavily. Sakura held him closer to her.

"What are we going to do now?" Sakura asked, looking up at Naruto. The latter kept looking at Itachi before turning his attention at Sasuke who was glaring at his brother.

"What's your suggestion, Sasuke?" Naruto asked, deciding to give Sasuke the decision of what to do with his _aniki_. Sasuke looked up at him, and blinked a couple of times before turning his eyes towards his brother.

"We'll take him to Tsunade, she might figure out what to do with him" he said, getting up with the help of Sakura, leaning his arm around her shoulder. They all went quiet for a minute, before hearing a loud crash in the distance.

"What was that?" Kankurou asked, turning around. They all widened their eyes, remembering:

_"I'll make sure Ino is __dropped__ at the hospital" he said, laughing as the bird flew away._

Naruto widened his eyes, looking at Lee. "Ino!" they both said, running off towards the sound. Sasuke decided to join them, but was stopped by Sakura. Temari, Kankurou and Hinata looked at him.

"Sakura, I have to go!" Sasuke said, leaning off of her. "No, If you go like this, you'll be a burden to us" Temari said, following Naruto and Lee. Kankurou and Hinata followed her, leaving Shino and Kiba with Sakura and Sasuke. "C'mon, man," Kiba said, walking towards Sasuke, taking him from Sakura's arms and helping him to walk.

"let's take you to the hospital!" he said, stopping in his tracks when he noticed Sasuke's smirk. "No, we're not going to take you to the hospital" Kiba exclaimed, causing the three to gape at him.

"He's hurt, and he must go to the hospital" Sakura said, angrily. Kiba shook his head. "Deidara said that he's going to the hospital, that's where the fight is. Going there is what Sasuke wants" he said, looking at Sasuke who was dumbfounded. Shino looked at Kiba and nodded, "For the first time in years. We agree on something" he said, keeping his face stern.

Kiba nodded and looked at Sakura, "You're a med-nin, right? You can help him. See ya!" he said, running towards the fight with Shino, leaving the two alone.

Sasuke was glaring at the two as they ran off, "Sasuke-kun, I know how bad you want to go and help, so do I. but you're hurt, and I can't leave you behind" she said, helping him to sit down on the ground.

"I'll heal you as much as I can, then I'll take you later to the hospital" she said, starting the procedure. Sasuke looked at her and nodded, closing his eyes.

_'I'm counting on you, guys!'_ he thought, worried about his friend as he felt Sakura's Chakura heal his body.

* * *

Gaara and Deidara were having a staring contest for they were staring at each other for the past couple of minutes.

"What? You're afraid to attack, Gaara? Hmmm" Deidara said, smirking. Gaara narrowed his eyes, his lips curving into a small smirk.

"I'm not the one standing up high, afraid to come down" he said, causing Deidara to grit his teeth.

"You little…" he mumbled, glaring at Gaara who didn't flinch. "Alright, it's between you and me, Monster!" Deidara said, causing Gaara to glare even more at him. He looked at Neji, Tenten and Chouji. "_Only_ you and me" he said, as his bird disappeared in a puff of smoke, dropping him from a distance and landing swiftly on one of the roofs.

"Meet me at the field, two kilometers from here" Deidara said, running towards the Konoha forest. Gaara knew that green field in the middle of the forest, realizing what a great mistake Deidara just made.

Gaara skipped his steps, jumping from roof to roof following Deidara. He had no idea why he wanted to fight him so bad, probably because he was the reason everything's messed up, maybe because Deidara was the reason behind him breaking Ino's arm, or maybe because he's injured her so badly with his clay specialty.

_'I'll make sure you pay, Deidara'_ he said, doing a flash step to transport faster into the area he was supposed to meet Deidara at.

Neji, Tenten and Chouji stood in their places, watching Gaara make his way towards his destination.

"Do you think we should help him?" Tenten said, looking at her mates. Neji shook his head. "No, you heard him" he said, looking at her, "I think it's personal" he said, causing Chouji to nod.

"You're right, I don't think we should get in between, besides," he said, walking to the edge of the rooftop. "Gaara has his sand to protect him, he'll never lose" Chouji said, jumping down. Tenten sighed and looked at Neji.

"I thought we were after Gaara" she said, crossing her arms. Neji sighed and looked at the ground. "Well, perhaps we were after the wrong guy. C'mon, let's go tell Shikamaru" he said, following Chouji. Tenten sighed frustratingly and scratched her head.

"Eh, this is complicated" she said, taking a couple of steps towards the edge and following her friends.

* * *

_'Where is he?'_ Gaara thought as he stepped onto the wide green area. He took a couple of steps into the field, standing in the middle.

"Deciding to back out?" he mumbled, knowing that wherever Deidara was, he'd be able to hear him. A breeze blew from the side, making the trees whiff and the grass beneath him move along with it. He smirked when he felt a familiar presence, a couple of feet behind him. Gaara turned around and narrowed his eyes once he saw Deidara, standing still in front of him with a smirk on his face.

"So, here we are!" he exclaimed, spreading his arms to the side. He smiled once he saw the sands float around Gaara's body, knowing that the latter couldn't wait to fight.

"It's in your blood, isn't it?" Deidara said, smirking. Killing people. You live for it!" he exclaimed, chuckling. Gaara narrowed his eyes,

"When it comes to killing people like you, I can't help but love it" he said, ordering his sands to move towards Deidara who threw a ball of clay in front of him which grew into a huge wall standing between the two of them. The sands hit the wall, but that wasn't enough. The sand traveled around it, going towards Deidara.

"You should know that you're very slow, Gaara" Deidara said, causing Gaara's eyes to widened, realizing that Deidara used the wall to cover for his transportation. Deidara grew a clay snake out of his sleeve. It quickly moved from his sleeve towards Gaara's ankle and upwards, moving up his body until it surrounded it completely, choking him.

Deidara smirked and raised two fingers in front of him, "Squeeze him to death" he said, ordering the snake to squeeze harder around Gaara who was smirking. Deidara's eyes widened when Gaara disappeared into grains of Sand, leaving the snake on the ground.

_'Expected'_ Deidara thought, scanning the area; in front of him, behind him, on the sides. _'Nothing'_ he thought, looking at the ground. His eyes widened when he noticed a shadow forming on the ground, a round shadow which was getting bigger by the second. Deidara looked up to see a huge boulder coming down at him.

Deidara gasped, before it crashed down at him. Gaara, who was standing between the trees in the forest, took a couple of steps into the field and towards the boulder.

"Physically, it would crush you if you stayed beneath it" Deidara said, laughing. Gaara swore, looking at the sky. Deidara was flying on his clay bird with his arms crossed.

"I'm thankful for being created with two special qualities: quick and wicked" he said, laughing. Gaara kept glaring at him while sending his sands up to him, attacking him from every direction. Deidara's bird maneuvered between the sands, flying to the sides, flipping and turning around, causing Gaara to get full control of the sand with his hands. He thrust his palm towards Deidara and closed his hand, trying to get his sand to get a grip on the flying bastard.

"Keep your eyes to the ground, Gaara. Don't look up too high. You might miss what's going on down there" Deidara commented, laughing wickedly. Gaara narrowed his eyes and looked at the level of his eyes which widened at the scene.

Gaara looked in front of him, turning his head to the side, looking behind him and turning around again, surprised of what surrounded him in a matter of seconds

"Don't look too surprised, you're killing the fun" Deidara said, pleased to see Gaara's expression.

He was surrounded by clay creatures; he was in the middle of a circle formed by explosive clay two-meters-high, faceless-legged statues created by Deidara. He stood still once the statues started moving towards him, closing in on him.

"As you know, I believe that _Art is a blast_" he said, smirking as Gaara was completely surrounded by the creatures.

"There's no place to run." Gaara mumbled, looking around him for a way out, for an opening between them, but they were well organized, making sure no gap is left between each statue. Gaara sighed, crossed his arms and closed his eyes, knowing Deidara's next move.

Raising his index and middle finger in front of him, Deidara smirked, "Katsu!" He said, causing the creatures to explode, wiping out everything at a 50 meters radius.

He watched from above as the area was wiped out clean, no sign of anyone in the area, except for a lying figure on the ground. "C'mon, Kazekage, you really want me to believe that this is your end, dying without a fight?" he said, narrowing his eyes at the figure. He noticed that it was Gaara. He glared at him, noticing that he wasn't moving. He used his scope to zoom at his chest.

"He's not breathing" he exclaimed, noticing that Gaara's chest wasn't moving. Deidara jumped down off of his bird. He walked step by step towards the Kazekage's body, looking patronizingly at him.

"So," he said, kneeling next to his unconscious body. "this is the end, eh?" he said, smirking. He widened his eyes when in a sudden; Gaara opened his eyes and got a grip on Deidara, strangling him.

"Do you think something like this would finish me off?" he heard Gaara say. Deidara looked up ahead, noticing that there was another Gaara standing in the distance, realizing that the one holding him was a Shadow, probably a sand clone. The one in the distance looked back at him, smirking, before raising his arm in the air, kneeling and slamming his hands against the ground.

"Ryūsa Bakuryū" Gaara yelled, forcing his sand to turn into Quicksand in the Style of a Waterfall, covering the entire area in an ocean of Sand. Deidara, horrified with the scene, tried to break lose from the Gaara clone's grip, but Gaara used his sand to surround him and completely hold him in place.

Gaara took one last look at Deidara before raising both his arms towards him, "Sabaku Taisō!" he yelled, closing his hands. The ocean of Sand started moving towards Deidara in a wave-like motion. He screamed once the Sand covered his body entirely, crushing him beneath.

Gaara stood up, panting. That technique forced him to use a great amount of Chakura, not to mention the amount of Chakura he used earlier that day. He panted, looking at his ocean of Sand, looking for any sign of the blonde.

"You really want me to believe that this is your end," he said, taking a deep breath and exhaling it. "dying without a fight?" he continued, using the same phrase that Deidara used to mock him earlier. After the sand dissolved to the ground, Gaara noticed Deidara, lying down, unable to move. Deidara turned his head to the side, looking at Gaara with widened eyes, trying to move his hand but no avail.

"G-Gaara," he mumbled, grimacing. "why are you fighting?" he asked, breathing heavily. Gaara narrowed his eyes, "She was hurt." he started, talking about Ino. "I won't forgive myself. I won't forgive you for what you've done as well" he said, glaring at him.

Deidara chuckled, "Y-You," he said, taking his last breaths and pointing at him. "y-you won!" he said, his hand falling to the ground. Gaara took a couple of deep breaths before secretly smiling.

"It's over" he said, gulping. He closed his eyes, touching his head. The area was starting to look blurry to him. He blinked a couple of times to clear his vision, but the headache was giving him a hard time. _'I'm completely out of Chakura'_ he thought, closing his eyes. He tried to keep himself standing but couldn't. Gaara fell to his knees, taking a deep breath.

"Ino," he mumbled, falling face down on the ground. "I-I'm sorry" he mumbled, closing his eyes, going into complete darkness.

_To be continued…_

* * *

**AHHHHHHH!! What have I done to Gaara!!!?? **

**I hope the fight scenes were good because I'm not very good with detailed information. **

**No more miss nice girl, no sir-ry. Review or else I'll have Gaara throw a sand pocky at you…GAAARAAAA!!! **

**Gaara:**-on alert with a sand pocky-** ready!**


	30. Chapter 29: The Finale

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**Reviews: **

Itsumo Neko: You make me laugh in times I don't think I would. Thank you for your review, although you haven't given me your opinion about the chapter.

Kirri Kitty: Yeah, it might end like what everyone is thinking. Thanks for your review, Hun.

Saka Salrin: I have to make you wait, I'm glad you liked this chapter.

AngelFoxtail: It's supposedly something you could eat, when it's not made of sand of course, he-he. I'm glad you liked this story and thank you for your advice; I'll make sure I double-check my chapters before updating. Thank you for your support. God bless.

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**Stats: **

Reviews: 67

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Thanks to everyone who read this story. I can't believe we're finally here, the finale! I'm at the verge of tears. This story had made me meet so many great people who share the same interest which is bringing Gaara and Ino together. Some people might say, "Oh, 67 reviews are not too many" well, everyone has their goal of reaching a certain number. But, for my first Naruto story, I believe that's quiet great. I sincerely thank **_EVERYONE_** who had read this story or even visited the link. The number -itself- is amazing. 8447! Thank you, thank you, and thank you.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to everyone who stood with me and encouraged me. _Kirri Kitty_, _Kilulu_, _Itsumo Neko_, _Bananamike(Saka Salrin)_, _Kikyouhater118_, _snickerz71_ and the rest of the guys and girls reading this story. I wouldn't have been here if it wasn't for you guys!!

I know I'm blabbering a lot, but I'm just getting too emotional! I'd like to thank **'Ho-sama'** who has given me the inspiration to start this fiction. So thank you very much and God bless you all.

Now, the long awaited Chapter…

I hope you like the ending.

**UPDATE, August 2nd, 2007:** added a couple of missing stuff to the end of this chapter.

**UPDATE, JULY 11th, 2009:** Fixed most typos, punctuation and grammar mistakes throughout the whole story.

* * *

**Please remember, Chapter 29 [Finale]**

"It's a good thing knowing that she'll survive." a faint voice said. Familiar voices talked to each other. "Do you think she'll stay like this? It's been too long" the voices continued, she could make out the voice. _'Shikamaru.'_ she thought, trying to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy.

* * *

"Even when she wakes, she must not know about―"

"―Wait, I think she's waking up" Sakura cut Shikamaru's sentence as she noticed that Ino was starting to come to consciousness. She took a couple of steps closer to the bed, leaning over Ino's head.

"Ino, can you hear me?" she said, causing the young blonde to slowly open her eyes. Everything was blurry to her. When she opened her eyes, she was met with wide green eyes, staring right back at her baby blue pools.

"She's awake!" she exclaimed, looking at Shikamaru who stood on the other side of the bed. "Ino, how do you feel?" he asked, reaching for her right hand. Ino blinked a couple of times, clearing the blur from her eyes. She licked her lips and gulped.

"W-Wa…" she mumbled, looking at Shikamaru who wasn't quite getting it. "What is it? What do you want?" he asked, looking worriedly at her. Ino swallowed and attempted to clear her throat.

"Water. I'm…" she mumbled, closing her eyes. Shikamaru nodded and poured a cup of water from the bed stand. Sakura moved her right hand behind Ino's head, lifting it up a bit while Shikamaru put the tip of the cup on her lips.

"Here" he softly said as he raised the cup to an appropriate angle for the water to pour down Ino's throat. She raised her right hand to move the cup so she can drink it properly. She finished it in one gulp, "Do you need more?" he asked, receiving a small 'no' from her. Sakura helped her lay comfortably down on the bed while Shikamaru put the cup back on the bed stand.

Ino blinked a couple of times, completely regaining her composure. "W-Where am I?" she asked, looking around; white walls, small couch, monitors, white sheets, all gave her a hint that she was in a hospital.

"You're in the hospital, Ino" Shikamaru said, reaching for the chair next to her and sitting down, "Tsunade-sama healed all your wounds" she said, nodding reassuringly. Ino looked down at her arms; the left arm which was broken by Gaara and the right arm which was imploded by Deidara and his clay toys, both were healed completely. She moved her fingers, her wrists then her arms, checking if they were _functioning_ properly. Ino narrowed her eyes at the thought of the two.

"You've been out for a while. You got us all worried" Sakura said, chuckling. Ino looked up at Sakura who used her arms to sit up.

"No, you need to rest for―"

"I'm fine!" she interrupted, getting the help from Sakura to raise the angle of the bed's top part, helping Ino to sit up straight. She moved the pillows behind her back so she could sit up comfortably.

"What happened?" she asked, looking at Shikamaru who was smiling. He held her right hand and patted on it. "It's over, Ino" he simply said, chuckling. Sakura smiled and nodded. Ino blinked a couple of times, not comprehending the whole Idea.

She narrowed her eyes, "Itachi?" she mumbled, waiting for a response from her teammate.

"He was caught" he said, nodding. Ino looked quizzically at him, so he continued, "Sasuke managed to stop him in time after Naruto and Lee managed to get out of his illusions somehow" he continued, glancing at Sakura who nodded in agreement.

Ino looked at Sakura before asking, "What about Deidara?" she asked, causing the pink haired Kunoichi to look at their lazy friend.

"He's dead" Shikamaru exclaimed, causing Ino to widen her eyes. "D-Dead?!" she said, surprisingly. She sure wanted him to stop doing what he did, maybe she'd hated him and didn't wish him well, but, she never believed he would be killed.

She looked down at her trembling hands, blinking a couple of times, fighting back the tears. She had no idea why she was crying, perhaps because he spent more time with her than any relative did. Although he wasn't one, she sure enjoyed treating him like a little brother, teasing and picking on him.

"The last thing I remember," she said, looking at her right arm, "Deidara…" she mumbled, touching her right shoulder.

Shikamaru looked at Sakura and sighed, "Deidara was an intriguer along with Itachi the whole time, plotting to take over Konoha and to take what remained of Shukaku within Gaara" he said, taking a deep breath. "Deidara took your body, planning on dropping you from a distance to the ground. But you were miraculously saved." he said, blinking a couple of times, smiling at her. "It was Gaara who saved you and killed Deidara" he continued, looking at Ino who was in a complete shock.

"Gaara?" she mumbled, looking at her now balled fists before raising her head to look at the two.

"Where is he now?" she asked, causing Sakura and Shikamaru to exchange looks. Ino looked back and forth between the two, wondering what they were thinking about. She repeated her question more firmly.

"Where is Gaara?" she asked, breathing heavily. Shikamaru looked at the ground while Sakura shifted her vision towards the white sheets of the bed. Ino understood one thing from those looks.

"N-No," she mumbled, tears filling up in her eyes. "he didn't!" she said, clasping her hand on her mouth, preventing herself from breaking down in tears.

* * *

Tsunade crossed her arms, looking through the glass at the operation table, looking at the medics trying to save the Kazekage's life. She moved her vision to the side before walking out the room.

Temari was sitting anxiously outside the operation room with Kankurou, waiting to hear any news about their brother. The last thing they've heard from the medics was that he wasn't breathing, and that his heart had stopped forty-five minutes prior to their arrival which was something not so reassuring to the Suna shinobi.

Temari clasped her hands together, intertwining her fingers and resting them in front of her mouth, hoping her brother would be alright while Kankurou was pacing back and forth in front of her. He stopped for a minute, groaned then continued pacing, causing Temari to look up at him with angry eyes.

"Would you just stop that? You've driving me crazy!"

"I'm worried, ok?"

"So am I!" she exclaimed, looking at the ground. "I don't want to lose him. After all," she said, biting her bottom lip. "he's our baby brother." she said, chuckling. Temari never dared to nickname her brother, or let him hear what she said about him, but from time to time, she referred to him as _baby brother_ whenever she talked with Kankurou.

They both turned their head towards the OR's door, seeing that Tsunade was walking out. The look on her face didn't reassure the two worried ninjas.

"Kankurou, Temari," she started, causing Temari to get up and look at her brother who looked back with the same worried expression. The start of the conversation wasn't that good. _'Please, be ok, Gaara'_ Temari thought, breathing slowly.

"we did our best," she continued, causing Kankurou to gape while Temari sat down, her face going pale. "he's alive, that's for sure," she continued, causing the two to slightly heave a sigh and give a small smile to each other.

"but,"

That's the word that worried the siblings. When someone says a good statement followed by the word _but_, one should know that it's not a good thing.

"he used more Chakura than his body could take. He damaged his body cells and muscles. We restored most of them, but the rest is up to him now." She said, taking a deep breath, "In order to do so, we must remove the last part of Shukaku" Tsunade said, causing the siblings to exchange looks.

"What are the odds?" Kankurou asked while Temari waited for Hokage's answer.

"There's a thirty percent chance that he'll survive" she replied, looking firmly at the siblings. Kankurou looked at the ground while Temari held back her tears.

"Do it!" Kankurou said, causing Temari to look at him. "What are you doing?"

"Shukaku is the one causing trouble for him, thus, they have to get rid of him" he said, looking firmly at his sister. Temari noticed that Kankurou was hiding his emotions; she knew he was suffering inside, even more than her. He's gotten closer to Gaara than she would ever be to him.

"But that would..." Temari stopped herself. She didn't want to be pessimistic.

"I know, but that's the best for him. Knowing Gaara, he'd probably ask for the same thing." Kankurou interrupted, causing her to look at the ground, nodding slowly. Tsunade was watching the two arguing before the puppet master turned to face her, nodding.

"Alright" she said, nodding before turning around.

"Tsunade-sama." she heard Temari call her, forcing her to turn around. "Yes?" she calmly said, noticing that the blonde Suna Kunoichi was at the verge of tears.

"Please, help him" she said, holding back the tears. Tsunade narrowed her eyes. Seeing the young woman worry about her young brother reminded her of someone she never thought about in a while.

_'Nawaki-kun'_ Tsunade thought, remembering her younger brother, dying in her arms. She smiled at Temari and nodded. "I will do my best." she said, turning around and walking away.

As she walked towards her office, she started thinking about her younger brother. Back then, she was an inexperienced med-nin, yet she tried her best to save her brother. How devastated she felt when they told her that there was nothing she could do, how it broke her down to pieces when she looked down at her bloody hands, knowing that there was nothing to be done. She hated that feeling; she lived with it, still living with it until now. She stopped in front of her office door, looking at the ground.

The look in Temari's eyes and the worried expression on Kankurou's face made her think about the whole situation. Gaara was a threat to Konoha, yet now she's been asked to help him. After all, he's the Kazekage, the head of Sunagakure, Konoha's ally. Tsunade took a deep breath and diverted her destination, going to the library in the next room.

"I won't let them feel the way I felt" she said, looking through the scrolls and old books about extracting the Demon beasts.

Shizune was walking towards Tsunade's office when she stopped outside the library, looking at her leader and mentor, watching how she flipped through the pages, moved her fingers across the scrolls, reading and encrypting its content.

She knocked on the door, "Yes?" Tsunade replied, not moving her head up from what she was doing. "Do you need any help, Tsunade-sama?" Shizune asked, making Tsunade look up at her subordinate.

"No, thank you" she said, nodding. Shizune smiled and nodded back. "Alright" she said, bowing before walking out the door.

"Shizune!" Tsunade said, making the young brunette turn around and face her. "Yes, Tsunade-sama?" she asked, as she watched Tsunade stand straight, looking firmly at her.

"I want you to check Gaara's condition and keep an eye on him at all times" she ordered, receiving a nod from Shizune.

"Hai, Tsunade-sama!" she replied, bowing again before going out the room and towards the OR.

Tsunade took a deep breath and exhaled it, looking at the book in her hands before turning her head towards the window and towards the Hokage Mountain, looking at the faces of the previous Hokages.

"Lend me your wisdom and faith. Support me in helping him" she said, narrowing her eyes sadly. She sighed heavily before turning her head towards the book. Then suddenly, a book fell from the top shelves with a loud thump, causing Tsunade to jump backwards a bit.

"What is this?" she said, looking at the dusty book lying on the ground. She walked from where she stood and towards the book, picking it up.

"No way" she said, flipping through the pages of the book, smiling once she found what she wanted.

"That's it!" she said, closing the book and walking out of the room, towards her office.

* * *

Temari and Kankurou have asked Shizune if they could see their brother. In a matter of seconds, they were inside the room, looking at the almost lifeless body of their brother. Temari gulped, holding back her tears, her breath and her screams while Kankurou put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Temari, Pull yourself together!" he said, glaring at his sister who simply nodded. They both looked at Gaara, his body attached to several monitors and machines, making it hard for them to look at him. Temari walked to one side of the bed, looking at her brother.

"He looks so peaceful when he's asleep, doesn't he?" she asked, chuckling yet sadly. Kankurou nodded. "Yeah, you're right about that" he said, smiling sadly as well. Temari sighed, causing Kankurou to look up at her.

"He'll pull through, I know him. Gaara never gives up." He said, looking at the peaceful face of his brother. "After all, he's got a whole village to lead" he said, putting his hopes in his brother. Temari nodded and looked at her brother, before holding his hand in hers.

"Stay with us, Gaara" she whispered, in hopes he could hear her.

* * *

_"He's got a whole village to lead"_

_"Stay with us, Gaara"_

He heard familiar voices. "Kankurou, Temari." he mumbled, opening his eyes. He was in a white area, surrounded by light everywhere. Wherever he turned, he found that he was in the middle of a very wide and vast area of whiteness.

"Is it over?" he asked himself, looking at the ground.

**_"Yes, it is."_** he heard a deep dreadful voice say, making him grimace. "Why won't you leave me the hell alone?" he quietly said.

**_"I'm part of you as you are a part of me"_** the voice of Shukaku continued, **_"You killed that young man. You're a murderer by blood, a monster."_** He said, making Gaara look at his hands. He looked in front of him to see Deidara's body, lying on the ground in front of him.

**_"You're a murder, a monster!" _**

**_"A monster!" _**

**__****_"A monster!"_**

**__****_"A monster!"_**

**__****_"A monster!"_**

The words repeated over and over again in Gaara's head, pulling him closer into believing that statement. Ever since he was a child, he was called a monster. Growing up, he'd been called a monster because he was; he loved killing people or plainly hurt them. His goal of existence was to kill everyone other than himself, protect and love himself more than anyone else. Now, when he finally found peace and love with his siblings, his village and with the love of his life, Ino, everything was messed up.

It just had to go wrong.

It was like he was meant to live miserably, destined to live a life full of sadness, sorrow and suffering forevermore. He looked at his hands, balling them into fists. He was taking in the fact that he was a monster, that he _is _a monster. He narrowed his eyes as the scenery around him changed into darkness, pure darkness.

**_"That's better now, isn't it?"_** he heard Shukaku say those words in his head as his voice started to grow louder and closer. Gaara looked up to see himself face to face with the Ichibi, the sand colored, black-eyed with yellow pupils, one tailed Shukaku.

**_"Then, let's bring havoc to the world, shall we?"_** he said, his voice echoing the place. Gaara looked at the ground with a lost expression on his face before looking up at the monster, smirking.

* * *

His eyes shot open, looking right and left at his surroundings. Temari and Kankurou looked at him and smiled, "Gaara!" Temari said, smiling as she squeezed harder on his hand. Gaara glared at her before turning his head to his brother.

"Glad you could make it, buddy. I knew you could do it!" Kankurou said, laughing. "Didn't I tell ya? You just had to cry about it" Kankurou said, receiving a punch from his older sister. Gaara looked back and forth between the two.

_'Cry about it?'_ he thought, looking at his sister and noticing the hint of tears starting to form in her eyes. _'Why would she cry? Did she really care about me?'_ He looked at his brother who was telling him something encouraging, but he wasn't clearly hearing him. It was different words he was hearing.

**_"You're a monster"_**

Gaara snatched his hand away from his sister's grip and clutched the sides of his head. "No!" he yelled, shaking his head. Kankurou and Temari looked at each other before holding Gaara's shoulders.

"Gaara, what's wro―"

"Get it out of me! Get it out of my head!" he yelled, squirming in his bed. Kankurou turned to the monitor to see Gaara's heartbeats going up, escalating at an unbelievable rate.

"Temari!" he yelled, receiving a nod from his sister before she disappeared out of the room. His vision moved towards Gaara who was obviously in pain, beads of sweat started forming on his face and arms. Kankurou cursed when he noticed Small grains of sand starting to appear from the cracks between each tile of the floor.

"Shit!" he said, leaning lower to his brother's level. "Gaara, control yourself, man. We'll help you through this. Everyone's here for you!" he said, trying to reassure his brother.

"Everyone is worried about you. Ino's worried about you as well" he had to say that, knowing that it might be a lie, but it also might be the truth as well.

Gaara stopped squirming, breathing shallowly, moving his vision to his brother, still shaking. "I-Ino?" he mumbled, receiving a frantic nod from his older brother.

"Yeah, Yeah, Ino, your girlfriend, remember?" he said, smiling and holding his brother's shoulders. Kankurou moved his vision towards the heart beats monitor to see that his heart beats were still escalating.

_'What's taking so long, Temari?!'_ he thought, glaring at the door. It seemed as if his prayers were answered once Temari walked in with Tsunade.

"What's going on?" She asked, looking at Kankurou who was holding Gaara down. "We don't know. He was slowly waking up when suddenly he started complaining about something, telling us to get it out of his head" Temari explained while Tsunade walked towards Gaara who was glaring at her. She got closer to his bed and stood next to him.

"How do you feel?" she asked, looking at him straight in the eye. He kept glaring at her, shaking his head.

**_"Get her away from you. You don't need her help"_** he heard him say, causing him to sit up straight, fighting off Kankurou's grip.

"Stay away from me!" he yelled, clutching the sides of his head, digging his nails into it. Temari looked back and forth between all three of them, concentrating more on her youngest brother. Tsunade looked at Temari, noticing her anxiety, before turning her attention fully at Gaara.

**_"Your brother is lying; she's not going to be there for you. She's not even thinking about you, that Ino" _**

"Ino!" Gaara yelled, clutching his head harder that it bled, his heart beats racing up. Kankurou looked at Temari before looking at Tsunade who nodded, knowing what the two were thinking.

"Get her here as fast as you can!"

* * *

"N-No," she mumbled, tears filling up in her eyes. "he didn't!" she said, clasping her hand on her mouth, preventing herself from breaking down in tears.

Shikamaru looked at Ino, taking her hand in his, "Look, we don't know yet. Don't worry about him" he said, trying to reassure her as hard as he could. Ino looked at the white sheet of her bed, clutching it with her left hand.

Sakura looked at Ino and sat on the bed, resting her hand on Ino's leg, squeezing it reassuringly.

"Don't worry, girl, you and I know he'll pull through" she said, smiling. Ino looked at Sakura with tearful eyes, nodding and looking at her legs.

She was mentally having a fight with herself. First, she dated him, realizing that she'd fallen completely in love with him, and then he got into a fight with her, resulting in breaking her arm and him telling her that she was a liar and that she betrayed his trust. Every time she looked back at that moment, she believed his words. She did hurt him. She was kissing another guy when she was supposed to be loyal to him. He had all the right to do what he'd done, that's from her point of view. She thought he hated her, and would never think of her the same again. Even if she worried about him now and apologized later, he wouldn't accept her apology, not in a million years.

She kept believing that until the point when Shikamaru told her that Gaara was the one saving her. He was the one who killed Deidara, probably because of what the latter did to her. That's when the thoughts ran through her head.

_'Did you forgive me, Gaara? Or you just did that because you hated him for what he's done to you?'_

Her thoughts confused her, forcing her to close her eyes to clear her thoughts for a while. Shikamaru and Sakura were both quiet, knowing that their friend needed some quiet time.

Ino's quiet time was over as soon as the door was kicked open.

"Shikamaru!" a frantic Temari said, panting. He got up, looking at his girlfriend worriedly. "What's going on?!" he questioned, noticing the look on her face. Temari moved her vision from her boyfriend towards Ino who was looking as if she'd seen a ghost, realizing why Temari had come there for.

At that particular second, millions of thoughts ran through her head. _'He's dead. She came here to tell us that Gaara died and there's nothing they can do',_ Ino thought, tears slowly making their way down her cheek. Temari looked at Ino for a second before gulping, opening her mouth to speak up.

"Ino," she started, all eyes turned towards the blonde girl lying on the bed. "it's Gaara," she said, blinking a couple of times, causing Ino to almost break in tears.

* * *

"Ino, Slow Down" Shikamaru said, running as fast as he could to follow up with his friend. She ran towards Gaara's room like there was no tomorrow, replaying Temari's words in her head:

_'He called out your name. He needs you, Ino!' _

Ino cried on her way to his room, cried because she felt she wouldn't be able to reach out for him, wouldn't get there in time. She was getting closer to his room, almost hearing Tsunade's voice say:

"Gaara, Stay with me, Damn it!"__

Ino jerked the door open, looked in front of her, panting heavily. Gaara was lying lifelessly on the bed while Tsunade was trying to resuscitate him. Ino's breaths shortened as she walked slowly into the room. Her tears were clinging in before they raced out of her eyes. She moved her vision to the side to see the heart monitor, the flat green line and the annoying high-pitched noise that came with it. She looked back at Gaara, her lips quivering. She continued on her way, walking slowly to his side.

"Ino, get out of here!" Tsunade ordered, but she realized that Ino wasn't able to hear her. Her mind was somewhere else.

"Gaara." she mumbled, looking at his very pale skin, his pale lips, his closed eyes, and his lifeless body as the truth ran in her mind.

She was losing him.

Five minutes later, Tsunade stopped her attempts, looking at Gaara body and the flat line on the monitor. She looked at Ino who was still frozen in her place, eyes glued at Gaara. She looked at the doorway to see Kankurou, holding Temari who was crying her heart out in his arms as he was trying to get a grip on himself, before breaking down in tears as well. Shikamaru was outside the room, looking sadly at the ground.

Tsunade moved her eyes back at Temari, narrowing her eyes. She was crying, crying because she lost her little brother. Tsunade knew that the vow she made wasn't kept.

"I failed" she mumbled to herself, looking at Gaara's body before turning the machines off. She looked at the clock to check the time of death, not wanting to announce it for it would be inappropriate in the presence of his loved ones. The room was suddenly dead silent, as Temari held back her cries and walked towards her brother's body, Kankurou walking along.

"Gaara." she mumbled, "Baby brother" she said, touching his hand. "Don't leave, please" she continued, falling to her knees, crying. Kankurou went to her side and held her in his arms.

"Temari, please, stop." He pleaded; realizing that he was at the verge of tears himself. He pulled his sister up to her feet and carried her out of the room. Shikamaru moved his eyes to his girlfriend, meeting hers. He sadly narrowed his eyes as she took a couple of steps towards him, falling into his arms.

"He's gone. My baby brother is gone." she said, crying into his chest. Shikamaru rubbed her back, unable to say anything to comfort her in a situation like this. He looked up to see that Kankurou was walking away; Shikamaru was able to sense that he was crying, hurt inside, all that just by looking at his retreating back. Shikamaru held her in his arms, whispering his apologies to her before taking her away from the room.

Tsunade was looking at Ino who was sorely and dead silent. Her eyes, empty and painful, were glued at Gaara's body. Tsunade looked at the ground before retreating out of the room, leaving Ino alone with him.

She couldn't believe it, a couple of weeks have passed since she met him, hung out with him and fell in love with him. It was all surreal to her; now that she was standing silently, looking at his lifeless body. She sat down next to him, her hand moving slowly towards his, holding it in her hands.

"Temari said you needed me." she mumbled, sobbing lightly, "I couldn't be here for you." she continued, squeezing on his hand. "I wish you could hear me, Gaara, I really do" she continued, her other hand reaching for his cheek, caressing it softly.

"It's been a while." she said, leaning forward and giving him a peck on the lips, wishing he would kiss her back and wake up. That thought made her cry, moving her head to his chest and sobbing into it.

"Gaara!" she yelled, clutching his hospital wear, "Don't leave me!" she yelled, crying her heart out in his chest. "Just when I realized that I love you more than anything in my life, just when I knew that I w-want you to be w-with m-me forever, just when I thought you could forgive me for what I've done, you do this and l-leave me behind!" she said, crying with much pain and sorrow, burning in her heart.

"I won't let you die, Gaara, I won't!" she said, raising her head to look at him. "Open your eyes, talk to me!" she said, sobbing and sniffing. "Please, honey." she said, wishing he would comply with her words.

"I love you, Gaara!" she exclaimed, looking at his pale face, "I love everything about you; your smile, your voice, your eyes, your face, your lips, everything about you. I love the way you make me feel whenever we're together, the way you hold my hand, the way we kiss, the way we reassure each other that everything will be just fine" she continued, sobbing. Ino moved her left hand behind his head while her other caressed his cheek.

"I know you can hear me, Gaara, everyone knows you can't die now. You just can't!" she exclaimed, knowing that she could bring him back, she just didn't know how. "I can't live without you" she mumbled, breathing sharply as her tears were pouring out.

"Gaara, please remember. Remember how you've been there for me when I got into the hospital because of my injury. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been here. Remember our times together, when we laughed at the park, making out between the flowers, carefree and happy. I know you can remember that, Gaara, I know!" she yelled, crying. "Please remember," she said, resting her head on his chest, closing her eyes.

"remember that I need you"

* * *

**_"Wake up!"_** the voice demanded, ordering Gaara to open his eyes. He opened them slowly, looking at his surroundings. He felt like he was cramped in a small box, unable to move outside its barrier.

**_"You won't die just yet. You live, I live, remember the deal?"_** he said, standing in front of Gaara. The latter looked up at him, barely able to do so.

"You're the reason behind everything" Gaara said, narrowing his eyes, "So why don't you leave me the hell alone!" he said, more of a statement than a question.

**_"You're dying, or better yet, you're already dead. No one is around you, no one can bring you back"_** he continued, narrowing his big black, yellow-pupil eyes at him. Gaara looked down and hugged his legs.

_'No one is around? That's a lie'_ he thought, remembering how when he first woke up, he found himself face to face with his siblings:

_"Glad you could make it, buddy. I knew you could do it!" Kankurou said, laughing. "Didn't I tell ya? You just had to cry about it" Kankurou said, receiving a punch from his older sister. Gaara looked back and forth between the two._

"They believed in me. They knew I would pull through it. They were by my side and I wasn't alone." he mumbled, looking up at Ichibi **(one-tailed)**.

"They were all there for me. It's all my fault that they're in vain" he continued, "It's entirely your fault!" he said, making Ichibi laugh,

**_"Oh, please, when you can't be responsible for your mistake, you blame others? How pathetic!"_** he said, laughing, causing Gaara to glare at him, breathing heavily.

"If you hadn't shown up, I wouldn't have hurt Ino; things wouldn't have been screwed up like that" he said. His words made the barrier around him weaker.

**_"You couldn't have lived if it wasn't for me_**―**_" _**

"―It's because of their love that I managed to pass through my childhood. My sibling's support is what has gotten me to where I am" Gaara said, narrowing his eyes at the one tailed beast, remembering his brother's words a couple of years ago:

_"If there's anyone who deserves to be our father's successor and Sunagakure's leader, it's you, Gaara" _

He remembered Temari's words:

_"You'll make a great Kazekage, and we're behind you all the way, Kazekage-sama" she said, winking at him_

"I won't let my past stand in the way of my life" he said, breaking through the barrier, Ichibi took a huge step backwards. "You're only a small part within me. You're nothing but a mere bump in the road, a parasite that needs to be removed." Gaara said, glaring at him.

He narrowed his eyes at the Ichibi as a huge hole opened behind him, sucking him towards its center, almost sucking Gaara in the process. Wind started to hit him from every side, thunder started appearing from the center of the hole.

**_"What are you doing? You're where you are because of me! My abilities have helped you through everything. I protected you from harm; I took care of you when you hurt yourself, when everyone hurt you."_**

Gaara narrowed his eyes, looking angrily at Ichibi. "Go to hell" he said, forcing ichibi into the black hole that appeared behind him.

**_"You'll pay for this, Gaara!"_** Shukaku yelled, as he disappeared into the darkness, that black hole closing behind him. Gaara sighed and looked at the ground, "He's gone" he mumbled, looking at the space in front of him.

"What is that?" he said, looking closely at the scene in front of him. He felt as he was floating outside his own body. He saw it, his own body lying at the hospital bed. He saw her, next to him.

"Ino," he mumbled, his lips slowly curving into a smile, "you came for me." he said, hearing her faint words.

_"…I love you, Gaara!" _

_"I-I…I can't live without you" _

_"…. you've been there for me…" _

_"…If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been here…" _

_"...I need you"_

Suddenly, he felt his chest ache. Gaara moved both his hands to his chest and screamed.

* * *

_Thump, thump… _

Her eyes shot open, _'What?'_ she thought, knowing what she'd heard. _'Could I be imagining it?'_ she thought. That's when it happened again…

_Thump, thump… _

She looked up at his face, "G-Gaara?" she mumbled, resting her hand on his chest. "Gaara, can you hear me?" she mumbled, her tears slowly making their way out of her eyes once she felt it against her hand.

_Thump, thump… _

_Thump, thump… _

_Thump, thump… _

Ino got up and ran towards the door, "TSUNADE-SAMA!" she yelled, looking at the long corridor, before running back to his side, sitting on the bed, resting her head on his chest.

_Thump, thump… _

_Thump, thump…_

_Thump…………. thump……. _

_'No!'_ Ino thought as his heart beats started dying down. She looked at his face before looking at the door again, moving her vision back to his body.

_'I don't know what to do!'_ she thought, almost crying. "Somebody, please help!" She yelled, looking back at Gaara. At that moment, she remembered a scene from a documentary movie she watched with Sakura where a doctor gave his patient a CPR.

She nodded, deciding to go on with it. She remembered what the doctor did and copied it. Ino adjusted Gaara's head before taking a deep breath. _'It's now or never'_ she thought as she placed her lips on his, breathing into him.

"C'mon, Gaara!" She said, placing her palms on his chest and started pumping, five times, before breathing into him again.

"Don't you die on me, please!" she said, pumping his chest with both hands. She didn't know what she was doing, but she was trying her best, she wasn't going to let him die.

"I won't let you die, Gaara, I'm not giving up on you" she said, giving him one last breath before he jerked up, gasping for breath. Ino gasped, taking a couple of steps backwards, pausing for a couple of seconds, watching him take his breath then exhaling it, repeating the process over and over again. Ino wasn't fully aware of what just happened.

"G-G…Gaara!" she screamed, throwing her arms around him, holding him closer to her before bursting into tears. Gaara, not fully aware of his surroundings, remained silent and still, not moving a single muscle.

Ino could hear a couple of footsteps running closer to the room. "Ino, what's the matter?" Tsunade asked, before her breath was caught in her throat. Temari and Shikamaru were there as well.

"Gaara!" Temari yelled, running inside the room and stood next to her younger brother, caressing his hair. "How did you?" she asked, looking at Ino who was crying, now crying the tears of joy. Ino shook her head, not knowing what she exactly did. All she knew that she did it.

She saved Gaara's life.

* * *

A couple of weeks have passed and everyone returned to their normal lives. Ino's parents weren't dead as Deidara said. They were found in the attic of their house that same day, safe and unharmed. Lee was taken to the hospital to treat his wounds, luckily for him; it was none other than Kagome that treated him. The treatment ended up with Lee asking her out on a date; a real date this time.

Shikamaru took his relationship with Temari to a whole new level, announcing that he was fully committed to her. Knowing that Shikamaru was too lazy to commit to anything, people started thinking she might be pregnant; their friends were part of those people.

Kakashi kept on visiting the memorial of the Konoha martyrs, until that day he was surprised by someone he didn't expect to see, presumed to be dead. He was reunited with his childhood friend, Rin, who told him she wanted to stay away from him ever since they lost their Uchiha friend that day. She told him that she wasn't able to face the memories, yet she realized she had to do that one day. In a matter of weeks, the whole village knew the two were dating. Naruto was the one spreading the rumor even before Kakashi and Rin started their relationship.

Sasuke and Sakura were committed to each other, being called _love birds_ by their teammate and friends. Naruto had the courage to confront Hinata's father to ask her out on a date, which ended up with Naruto having a mental shock while the Hyuuga's were laughing their head off, including the Hyuuga prodigy, Neji.

Itachi was sent to the correctional facility in the village of Rocks where he'll be spending the rest of his life mopping floors and being picked on by others.

Kankurou found a girl named Ayumi that shared a very interesting hobby with him. They met at a _puppets maker's shop_ which was owned by her grandfather in Konoha. The two hit it off pretty well. Temari never thought her brother would actually have a girlfriend in a short period of time.

Lee and Gai sensei kept their youthful attitude, which was overused whenever they were around Neji and Tenten, who have –finally- got together after a long argument resulted in the two disappearing suddenly away from the others.

Jiraiya published a new volume of his Icha-Icha series which was named _'Icha-Icha world: Naruto edition'_. Of course, Jiraiya didn't know that the book was A) published with that name and B) was even published. Turned out, it was all Naruto's doings.

However; the book had made top sales during the first two days, making Naruto the number one writer and assistant to Jiraiya, despite his young age.

Speaking of Naruto, he was forced to pay Shikamaru for his little 'trick' on his and Temari's date in the restaurant earlier that year, making Naruto's little Gama-money-purse go flat, resulting in Naruto's depression.

He was also forced to train with Neji instead of Tenten for the problems he caused for the two. Unfortunately for Naruto, he had no idea how the Hyuuga trained, resulting in giving him a black eye, bloodied nose and a couple of broken ribs.

Then there was Gaara and Ino.

Well, let's say that those two have gotten closer than before. They spent all the time together, talking about different things, sometimes practicing together or having dinner which would often end up with both of them making sweet love to each other.

You're wondering what happened to that last part of Shukaku? Well, Gaara said that he was gone all of the sudden. After a few tests and experiments done by Tsunade, they found no sign of the demon beast inside its host. They figured that Gaara managed to fight him off by himself.

And then there was this day, the day none of them wanted it to come.

Gaara was in his bedroom, checking himself one last time in the mirror.

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're getting more into fashion" a voice said, causing him to turn his head towards the door way.

"You'll never learn to knock the door, will you?" Gaara said, smirking at his older brother who was laughing.

"C'mon, you're holding us back. Everyone's waiting" Kankurou said, leaving the room. Gaara smiled and shook his head, sighing heavily.

"Alright" he said, following his brother.

* * *

"I can't believe you guys are leaving!" Lee exclaimed, standing next to his girlfriend, Kagome. "Can't you stay a bit longer?" he said, a hint of tears in his eyes. Gaara shook his head.

"We've caused enough trouble here. It's time for us to leave" he said, nodding at him. Lee couldn't contain himself and tears strolled down his cheek.

Neji rolled his eyes, "God, here he goes again―"

"―I hate goodbyes. It's very un-youthful!" Lee exclaimed, wiping his tears away, causing everyone to laugh.

Gaara, for a first, laughed along, looking at everyone standing in front of him. They were all here and willing to say their goodbyes, except for her.

Shikamaru noticed the look in Gaara's eyes and turned to Chouji, "Where is she?" he whispered, receiving a shoulder shrug from his friend. "I don't know. She said she'd be here" he replied, looking around.

"Well, it's time to go" Kankurou said, receiving a nod from his siblings. Temari ran to Shikamaru and hugged him, causing everyone to laugh.

"Don't you cheat on me!" she said, hugging him tightly. "Why would I do that? What you gave me last night was enough to last for two friggin years" he joked, causing him to be punched hard in the head.

"Idiot!" she said, holding her fist up. "You don't have to let everyone know about that!" she exclaimed out loud, causing everyone to break into fit of laughter. Gaara looked around one last time for any sign of his girlfriend, but there was none.

"Temari" he firmly said, causing the blonde to turn to her brother and nod, before turning back to her Nara lover.

"Don't forget to write" she said, kissing his lips. Words like _"Get a room"_, _"Super Kawaii"_ and _"this is youthful"_ were heard around, causing another fit of giggles and laughter and an eyes-roll from a certain purple-eyed prodigy.

Shikamaru broke the kiss and laughed, "And miss telling you my adventures around here? Hell no!" he said, laughing. Temari raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms

"What kind of adventures would you have? You spend all day lying down with nothing to do" she said, smirking before walking to her brothers' side. Kankurou looked at his girlfriend, dark-haired, green-eyed Ayumi who was smiling sadly at him. He chuckled and pulled her into a hug.

"I'll see you soon, ok?" he said, kissing the top of her head. She nodded and looked up at him. "You bet!" she exclaimed, laughing. He gave her a long, innocent kiss before parting.

"Don't forget everything I told you about" he said, winking at her. She blushed and chuckled. "I'll follow your advices" she said, nodding. Kankurou gave her one last hug and a peck on the lips before walking towards his siblings.

"We'll see you guys soon" Kankurou said, as the three of them walked away towards the main gate.

Kankurou looked at his brother, walking between him and his sister, noticing the disappointed look on his face.

"It's not too late, I'm sure she'll show up" he said, receiving a low nod from his younger brother. As soon as they stepped out of the gate, Gaara realized that it was too late for her to show up.

_'I'm sure she was busy with something'_ he said, trying to convince himself that she didn't bail on him. A couple of seconds later, he heard a set of footsteps running towards him. He stopped in his tracks and slowly turned around.

"Gaara!" she yelled, tears strolling down her cheeks, running as fast as she could towards him. He smiled as she jumped at him, throwing her arms around him. He spun a couple of times, holding her in his arms.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so, so sorry. My alarm clock didn't go off and I drifted in sleep. I'm so sorry" she kept blabbering on and on why she was late, leaving a very amused Gaara, smiling at her.

"Ino…"

"…If I didn't show up I wouldn't…"

"…Ino…"

"…have forgiven myself, and I know you…"

"…Ino!"

"…you wouldn't have forgiven me also and―" her sentence was cut when Gaara brought his lips down to hers.

"Finally, someone to shut _blondie_ up!" Kankurou exclaimed as he and Temari turned around and started walking away as slow as they can, giving them some privacy as Gaara and Ino lip locked for a couple of seconds, before breaking apart for breath.

Ino opened her eyes a couple of seconds later, looking at Gaara who had a big smile on his face. "Stop apologizing. You're here after all" he said, chuckling. Ino smiled, before she started crying.

"I'm going to miss you" she said, burying her head in his chest. Gaara narrowed his eyes, draping his arms around her, pulling her deeper into his embrace.

He wasn't the type of guys to get emotional, but the past couple of months have been full of a lot of things; things he didn't imagine would happen to him. The most important one of them is that he met her, that he fell in love with her from the moment he laid eyes on her.

Gaara swore that he could feel something funny in his chest and stomach, the feeling of inability to breathe, something he never experienced before.

That's when he felt something go down his cheeks, causing him to move one of his hands towards his cheek, wiping away whatever was on his face.

Ino looked up at him, her cries turned into chuckles. "You're crying," she exclaimed, wiping the tears off of his face. "why?" she asked, draping her arms around his neck. He looked down, before looking up into the baby blue pools they called _her eyes_.

"I'm going to miss being with you, Ino" he said, smiling sadly. "Promise me we'll stay in contact" he said, moving the famous strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I promise, Gaara-kun," she said, smiling. "I promise" she said, tiptoeing and claiming his lips with hers. Both were kissing passionately, hungrily, lovingly for each other. Ino cupped his face and deepened the kiss, allowing him the entrance to her mouth. He moved his hands up and down her sides before resting on her hips. She was able to feel his tears fall down on her hands, making her cry as well.

He pulled back, resting his forehead against hers. "You'll always be here, Ino" he said, taking her hand and resting it on his chest; where his heart was. "I promise" he said, smiling at her. She cried, nodding. "You're a part of me." she said, sobbing. Gaara hugged her one last time, kissing her forehead.

"I love you, Ino" he mumbled, breathing in her scent one last time, her beautiful floral scent which was one of the things he loved about her.

She wept, literally wept in his chest, before looking up at him. Gaara shook his head, "Ino, don't cry, please." He pleaded, with a sad smile on his face. Ino nodded and chuckled, her tears still flowing down her cheeks. She wiped his tears away from his pale cheeks.

"It's not good looking for a man to cry" she said, chuckling, causing him to laugh. He nodded, "I'll take your word" he said, kissing her lips one last time, one innocent, very long kiss. Ino realized it might be the last time she would be with him, kiss him and hold him in a long, very long time. He reached up for her hands which were on his cheeks and held them in his.

He pulled back, taking a couple of steps backwards, still holding her hands in his. "I'll see you soon, Ino" he said, letting go of her left hand. Ino nodded with a sad smile on her face. "Yes, soon" she mumbled, tears strolled down her cheek once he let go of her other hand. He nodded and turned around, following his siblings who were a couple of meters ahead of him.

Ino stood there, holding her hand against her chest.

_Times, sometimes the time just slips away  
And we're left with this today  
Left with the memories  
I, I'll always think of you and smile  
And be happy for the times  
I had you with me _

"Gaara!"

He stopped his steps, taking a deep breath and turning his head to the side. "I love you too." She said, the hint of yearn was already in her voice. He smiled and nodded, continuing his journey.

_Though we go our separate ways  
I won't forget  
So don't forget  
The memories we made.  
Please remember_

"Hey," Ino turned her head to the side to see her best friend, Shikamaru, standing next to her. "you'll be alright" he said, looking at his friend who was in tears. Shikamaru draped his arm around his friend as they both looked at the retreating backs of the ones they loved.

_Please remember  
I was there for you  
When you were there for me  
Please remember  
Our times together  
When time was yours and mine  
And we were wild and free  
Please remember… _

"Gaara, Please," Ino mumbled, "please remember me" she said, leaning on her friend as they both waved at the Suna no Shinobi as they walked back to their village.

* * *

**AH!! Gaara left! WAAAH! What an ending! **

**But…I didn't write THE END, now, did I? That means… **

**There's an epilogue!! **

**Wait for it, people! **

**Ja na and please review**


	31. Epilogue

The Epilogue and the closure for Gaara x Ino's **_'Please remember'_**

This is **_DaaNi-Chan_**, formerly known as **_TheLoneDevil_** in the last and final chapter of her Please remember

Thank you, everyone...

Enjoy!

* * *

"Take this report as fast as you can to Baki, he'll know what to do next" he ordered, receiving a nod from the Jonin standing in front of him, before bowing respectfully.

"Hai, Kazekage-sama" the Jonin said, standing up straight before walking out the door. "Oh, Kazekage-sama," he said, turning back around, causing the Kazekage to look up from his desk.

"it's great to have you back, sir" he said, nodding before walking out the door. Kazekage smiled, chuckling before moving his eyes towards the picture on his desk. It was a picture of him and his siblings, standing next to him while wearing his Kazekage uniform. That was such a great memory. His eyes moved to the clock standing next to the picture, "It's already 5 pm, huh?" he mumbled, leaning back in his chair.

He's been working non-stop ever since he came back with his siblings to Suna, to make up for the time he wasted in Konoha.

It's been crazy, everything that happened for him in the past year. Yes, it's been almost a year since he visited Konoha to bring back _peace and harmony_, like Tsunade put it, to both villages.

He chuckled as he remembered, from the moment he stepped foot in that village, nothing but chaos occurred. He managed to make a great amount of friends with people he have met before, whether it was in fights during the earlier exams or in different situations.

He remembered, from the moment he showed up in that village, a certain beauty caught his attention, and could help but to think about her everyday. He smiled when he looked at the single purple flower that decorated his room.

_'Purple flowers represent dignity, pride and success. They also represent accomplishment and admiration. That fits your preferment as Kazekage'_

Her voice rung in his ears like it was heard yesterday. How he missed her voice, her sweet voice. How he missed holding her hand, caressing her cheek, kissing her. How he missed her beautiful floral scent which made smelling that flower the first thing he did every morning. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and exhaled it.

"It's been a long time, Ino" he mumbled, turning around and looking out the small round window that overlooked at Suna, only the sun was visible from where he sat.

He remembered when he woke up after his fight with Deidara to find his siblings around him; he remembered that he lost consciousness again, only to be brought back by the only person he thought would never do.

He remembered that at some point, he gasped for breath, and then he was surrounded by a pair of arms, holding him close. He slowly started to regain consciousness when his sister left the room, leaving him with Ino and Tsunade, that's how he was told:

* * *

**The pervious year:**

"Don't you think Kankurou would want to know?" Ino said, still holding the half-conscious Gaara in her arms. Temari stopped caressing her young brother's hair and nodded, "Oh, You're right." She said, nodding and running out of the room, just in time for Tsunade to show up.

Ino looked up to see Hokage, smiling at her. "I see you've done something here" she said, smiling. Ino nodded and laid him down on the bed. Gaara was starting to become aware of his surroundings. Tsunade held a flashlight, checking his pupils _(though he doesn't have ones)_

"His pupils are responding normally" she mumbled, checking his other eye. "I don't know what you've done here, but you've brought him back" Tsunade said, nodding. "You should consider working as my apprentice for quite some time" Tsunade joked, laughing. She started checking Gaara's vital status, his heart beats, blood pressure, etc.

"He's doing great. I'll be back in a second" Tsunade said, walking out the room, leaving Ino alone with him. Her tears were dry on her cheeks, smiling when he slowly turned his head to face her.

"Ino?" he asked, looking at her with a tired expression. Ino nodded, "I'm here" she said, smiling. He moved his vision to his right hand, being held in hers. Ino blinked a couple of times before moving her hand away from his.

"Don't. Please." he said, tightening his grip on her hand, closing his eyes. Ino nodded and held his hand with her right, resting her left hand on it.

"Gaara" she mumbled, noticing that he was relaxed. "I'm sorry" she mumbled, sobbing once. He opened his eyes, looking at her. He was about to say something when she continued.

"What I've done was wrong." she said, fighting back the tears. "I realized my mistake. I don't even know how it happened, I just didn't intend to―"

"―Stop it, Ino," he interrupted, causing her tears to fall down her cheeks, "just Stop it" he mumbled, closing his eyes. "You've apologized more than once before and I showed to you that I didn't forgive you. Why would you go on with that again?" he firmly said, causing her to start sobbing, lowering her vision to her lap. "I…" he mumbled, looking at her crying figure.

"I'm the one who should be apologizing." Gaara started, making her look up at him. "I hurt you when I shouldn't have. I've made a terrible mistake not believing you, not giving you the chance to explain."

"There was nothing to be explained, you saw what you saw―"

"―your eyes could lie. My eyes did." He said, looking at her. They both went silent for a minute. "Besides, I shouldn't have done what I did anyway. I hurt you when I wasn't supposed to" he said, avoiding the eye contact with her.

Ino remained silent, holding his hand. She didn't know whether that was his way of apologizing or he was just speaking his mind.

"You only broke my arm," she said, chuckling. "that doesn't hurt even half as much as a broken heart" she said, tears strolling down her cheek, which were quickly wiped away with her left hand.

"I want things the way they used to be" he mumbled, causing Ino to gape at him. _'Is he saying…?'_

"Gaara" she said, her lips quivering. He looked at her and smiled. "I want you back, Ino." he said, raising his right hand out of hers and touching her cheek. "Please, forgive me for what I've done" he said, narrowing his eyes sadly. Ino cried, looking at the bed sheet.

She reached for his hand and removed it away from her cheek. "How could you forgive me after what I've done?" she asked, looking at him straight in the eye.

"Because I love you," he said, smiling, "Ino-chan" he said, moving his hand back to her cheek. She froze, eye widened. Ino felt her heart skip a beat. They were dating, yes. They have kissed and flirted with each other, yes. But he never told her that word, those three words she always wanted to hear.

"W-What?" she stuttered, for the first time in her life. Her breath was held in the back of her throat, unable to go down to her lungs or out of her mouth. He blinked a couple of times, smiling.

"I heard every single word you told me. I'm here now, because of you, Ino. When you told me to remember every moment we spent together. That's how I knew I was truly loved, how I was truly needed, that my existence is important to at least one person in this world" he said, caressing her cheek.

Ino didn't comprehend his words; it was almost as if that was a dream. Her tears uncontrollably ran down her cheeks as she sobbed lightly.

"If only, if only you'd let me back into your life after what I've done. I would―"

He sentence was cut when she brought her lips down on his, kissing him deeply yet innocently. He was sure startled but complied, kissing her back with much passion and love, his left hand caressing her cheek. She pulled back, staring at his sea-foam green eyes.

"I sure want you in my life, Gaara" she said, smiling while her tears strolled down her cheeks. He smiled, wiping them away.

"I'm glad" he only said, giving her a lopsided grin before closing in the space between them, pulling her into another heavenly kiss. This time more forcefully and passionately. She felt butterflies in her stomach as he unconsciously moved her strand of hair behind her ear, deepening the kiss, both not wanting it to end, but it had to at some point.

"Gaara!" that voice interrupted their romantic mood. Pulling back from the kiss, Gaara glanced over her shoulder to see his brother, standing in the doorway. His purple face paint was a mess, indicating that either water was thrown at him or he was crying. Gaara narrowed his eyes, smiling.

"Hey" he said, realizing that his sister was starting to tear up as well. Kankurou walked slowly towards his brother's side. As soon as he stopped, he quickly adjusted the bed so he would be sitting up, not even asking for his brother's opinion about it. Gaara didn't complain. "I see you just got here" Gaara said, sitting up straight.

"She's just told me" he said, pointing at their older sister. "I'm glad you're back, bro, I really am" he said, nodding. Both Ino and Gaara glanced at each other, noticing that Kankurou was at the verge of tears. He moved his vision toward his older brother and extending his hand.

"Thanks, big brother" he said, surprising Kankurou who shook his hand, only to be pulled by him into a brotherly hug. Kankurou's eyes widened at the unexpected move from his brother.

"Thank you, really" Gaara mumbled, hugging his brother. Ino chuckled and started to tear up; she noticed tears in Kankurou's eyes as he hugged his brother back. Temari walked to Ino's side, letting the two brothers alone for a minute.

"I believe things have gotten better between the two of you?" Temari said, smiling and wiping away the tears from her eyes. Ino chuckled and nodded, "Yes, I believe so." she said, looking at Gaara and Kankurou as the latter started talking about some 'chick' he met during their stay.

"We owe you, Ino" Temari said, looking at Ino with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes. Ino was in awe and hugged her friend, "You don't owe me anything, Temari. I did what had to be done" she said, pulling back from the hug and chuckling, both were brought to tears by the emotional situation.

"Ah, girls and their tears." Kankurou exclaimed, laughing and pointing at them. "You know, I never understood you, girls"

"Your little head will never do" Temari exclaimed, as she got into an argument with her older brother about whose head is bigger. Gaara looked at Ino and smiled,

"Come here" he said, extending his right arm to her. She smiled and complied with him, throwing her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"I don't know what I would do if I didn't have you in my life" he whispered, making her pull away and look into his eyes. "I should be the one saying that" she said, chuckling. She bit her bottom lip, moving his now slightly longer hair away from his forehead.

"I love you too, Gaara" she mumbled, finally replying to his words. He chuckled, inching his face closer to her until their lips met in a small, sweet kiss yet full of passion and need for one another.

* * *

**Present day:**

His thoughts of that kiss his shared with her were interrupted by a knock on the door. "Come in" he said, turning his chair to face whoever was stepping in.

"Kazekage-sama," Baki said, bowing respectfully. "they're here" he said, receiving a nod from Gaara.

"Understood." he said, getting up off his chair and out of the room.

* * *

Gaara never thought he'd be pacing towards the front gate of his building to personally welcome the visitors. A couple of months ago, he received a letter from Konoha, addressed to him by his name, not his title. The letter, of course, was inspected minutely to make sure no forbidden techniques were included in them, for the sake of the Kazekage of course.

He remembered the day he received that letter…

* * *

The handwriting was delicate and unique, something he's never seen before. It was unfamiliar to him. He looked at the envelope, studying what it said:

_Konohagakure medical department, requested by Second-in-command, Y.I._

"Y.I." he mumbled, smiling before opening the letter to read its content:

_Dear Gaara, _

_It's been a while since we've contacted each other. I know you've been very busy with your work; I've been busy with mine also. I was finally promoted to Jonin rank along with many, many others after a whole year of hard work. I guess that paid off pretty well. _

_After the incident that occurred, Tsunade-sama decided that I would make a pretty good medic-nin. I graduated second on my class, after Sakura. She never stops being the top one, does she? I didn't care, really. I was happy knowing that I could make a difference rather than just sit at home, waiting for someone to pamper me and take care of me like a little girl. My image has changed here. I'm no longer Yamanaka Ino, the spoiled brat who does nothing but whine about not having a love life. I'm now Yamanaka Ino, proud Jonin and Medic-nin of Konohagakure and shall I say, girlfriend of the great Kazekage :D _

_I just wanted to inform you that Shikamaru, Chouji and I are going to be sent on an A-ranked mission in the next couple of days. Tsunade-sama ordered us to spend a couple of days at Sunagakure after the mission for it will be very exhausting, she says._

He unconsciously smiled, knowing that she was going to visit him soon. He continued on with reading.

_Off the record, I wanted to tell you that I missed you so. Both Shikamaru and Chouji are sick of me for talking about you 24/7. I guess I couldn't take my mind off of you for a second there. _

_Can't wait to see you soon _

_Love, yours truly _

_ Yamanaka Ino_

* * *

He kept smiling all the way to the gate. Gaara couldn't wait to see her, hold her in his arms and kiss her. He missed her so bad. He knew exactly what to tell her when he sees her.

A couple of minutes later, he arrived, looking at the three Konoha ninjas, having a conversation with none other than his older brother, While one of the ninjas -Nara Shikamaru, as he remembered- had his arm around his sister's waist.

Gaara took a couple of steps forward, making his presence known, causing all five pair of eyes look at his direction. He saw her, looking at him, smiling from ear to ear.

"Gaara, it's been a while" Shikamaru started, moving away from Temari. Gaara smiled and nodded, walking closer to them. Chouji nodded respectfully while Ino just smiled. Kankurou and Temari looked at each other and had looks of amusement on their faces.

"C'mon guys, we'll show you to your rooms" Temari said, pulling on Shikamaru's hand while Chouji, after giving him another nod, walked along with Kankurou, each talking about their favorite subject, leaving the two lovers standing the long empty hallway.

Gaara thought he knew what to say, didn't he? Well, he was wrong. He froze in his place, not knowing what to say to her. Words had no place in his mind; he wanted to tell her how much he missed her and how bad he wanted to see her. But his thoughts couldn't be translated into words from the moment he laid eyes on her.

Gaara took a deep breath and exhaled it; "You're here" he started with a smile on his face. Ino nodded and started walking towards him, until she was a couple of inches away from him. "Yes, I'm finally here" she said, smiling. Ino could see his eyes shine even more as the time passed, making her smile even bigger.

He remembered the words she said in the letter, "I missed you too" he said, inching closer. Ino chuckled and moved her hands to the sides of his face, pulling him closer.

"I missed you even more since I wrote that letter" she said, closing in the gap between them, kissing his lips softly. Gaara smiled against her lips and moved his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him, deepening the kiss. She giggled as she gave him the entrance, their tongues passionately and fiercely fighting for dominance.

Ino's arms snaked around his neck, pulling him closer, moving their bodies as close they can to each other. A couple of minutes later, Gaara broke the kiss, panting.

"Must stop…for breath" he said, chuckling. Ino laughed, panting as well. She moved her right arm towards his chest, stopping at the blue part of his uniform.

"I didn't get the chance to tell you how good you look in this. I like a man in a uniform" she slyly said, smiling at him. He chuckled and leaned closer, whispering.

"You should see me without them" he said, causing her cheeks to heat up. Ino gave him a slap on his arm.

"My god, you've become such a pervert!" she exclaimed, laughing. "I bet you've been spending too much time with Kankurou and his _chicks_ talk" she said, chuckling. Gaara nodded in agreement, "Yeah, well, someone's gotta mess with my head once in a while" he said, chuckling before checking her out.

"I haven't got the chance to tell you how beautiful you look" he said, studying Ino's features. Of course, her usual blue sandals, her fishnet knee caps, her short blue skirt, button up top. Her soft face and those rosy lips Gaara loved to admire, not to mention her baby blue eyes which were deep pools one could be lost in them.

"You didn't change at all, did you? Except that you've grown into a very, very attractive young woman" he said, holding her right hand and lifted it up, making her spin. "I might get jealous" he exclaimed, causing her to laugh. He noticed one different thing about her while she was spinning.

"You cut your hair?" he exclaimed, receiving a laugh from the short haired blonde. It was now held up in a small pony tail.

"Yeah, do you like it?" she said, smiling at him. He narrowed his eyes, before reaching up for the rubber band holding up her hair, tugging on it. He smiled once her hair swiftly fell on her shoulders.

"I love it" he said, smiling. Ino looked into his eyes and blushed, looking at the ground. Gaara smiled and ran his right hand through her hair, resting on the side of her head before pulling her closer into another kiss which lasted several minutes. When Gaara's hand reached to the rim of her shirt, she gasped

"Gaara," she said, pulling away. "don't forget we're in public, even worse, in your building. That won't be good for your reputation" she said, widening her eyes. "Don't worry, no one will care" he said, pulling her into another kiss. She chuckled against his mouth before pulling away.

"Well, I need to breathe" she said, taking a step backwards, looking at the ground. Gaara smiled as he admired the girl in front of him. He chuckled, knowing that if three years ago, someone told him that he would be with someone as sweet, intelligent, beautiful and attractive as her, he'd be laughing his head off, or probably laughing _their heads off_, if you know what I mean. It was surreal to him, to have someone like her in his life

"Ino," he said, causing her to look up at him. "I want to take you somewhere"

* * *

"Are you going to tell me?" she said as she was climbing up the stairs, blindfolded by one of his sashes that were brought from his office on his way. Gaara was holding her hand the whole time, telling her where to step, where to watch out for another step, until they reached a door at the top of the stairs.

"Don't be scared" he mumbled, opening the door. Ino, being blindfolded, gasped as soon as she felt the wind hit her, hearing the whistle-like sound of the winds.

"We're on higher grounds, aren't we?" she said, guessing. Gaara shushed her and led her to where he wanted her to stand. After a couple of steps, they reached for a railing. He rested her hands on it before whispering in her ear.

"You ready?" he said, receiving a nod from the blonde. In an instant, the sash was removed from her eyes. That's when she gasped.

"Oh, my god" Ino said, realizing that she was standing on the rooftop of the Kazekage building, overlooking at the sandy Sunagakure.

"I come here to think when I have a lot on my mind" he said, looking at her and smiling, noticing how astonished she was by the view.

"It's beautiful!" she said, as she watched the organized buildings of the village as far as the eyes could see. The buildings were spreading apart like sunrays; the Kazekage's building being the sun.

"Well, it's not that beautiful when you're alone with no one to share it with" he said, narrowing his eyes as a breeze passed them by. Ino looked at him with a quizzical look in her eyes. He smiled and turned to face her.

"Ino," he started, holding her hands. "remember the day when you were at the hospital, when you hurt your head? That day when I visited?" he said, receiving a nod from the blonde.

"I loved you from that day. I loved the way you made me feel. You made me feel like I matter in this world, like I could be something great to the world. I loved being there for you as much as you were there for me." he said, smiling. "I remember that day when we went to the park, it was the first time I saw a field of flowers that big, since I was raised in the desert" he said, looking around him.

"After I came back here, I realized that everyone in the village needed something in their lives. I knew that I had to work hard to make them all happy and now, knowing that they're all happy makes me really glad. I made everyone get what they want, never denied them from everything they needed. I wanted them to be loved, just like you made me feel loved" he said, looking at Ino who was already in tears, touched by his words.

"This village is like a flower in the middle of the desert, a flower that needs to be nurtured and taken care of, a flower that needs a fountain to water it and make it grow even better and stronger. I know I won't be able to do this alone" he said, smiling sincerely.

Gaara let go of her left hand and reached for something from the side pocket of his uniform, looked at the ground and sat down on one knee. He looked at the maroon colored velvet box and then at her, her other hand was covering her mouth as her tears flowed down her cheeks. Gaara chuckled, noticing that she was shivering; the hand he held was shaking like crazy.

"G-Gaara," she mumbled, crying and knowing what was coming. "honey" she said, sobbing harder as she tried to contain her tears, giving her boyfriend the chance to speak up.

He smiled and opened the box to reveal a diamond ring, "Yamanaka Ino," he started, causing her to chuckle while she was in tears.

"will you honor me and be my wife?" he said, smiling nervously. He loved her so much and he didn't want to lose her. He hoped she would say yes, he prayed she would say yes.

_'Please, say yes, say yes!'_ he thought, biting his bottom lip as she remained silent for a couple of seconds, looking at the ring.

"Gaara," she mumbled, smiling. "I'd be more than happy and proud to be your wife" she said, throwing her arms around his neck as he hugged her back, getting up and spinning her around. A few seconds later, he put her back to the ground, both panting for two different reasons. She was astonished by his request while he was heaving sighs. Ino smiled as he took the ring out of its box and placed it on her finger, before he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, making her blush.

"You have no idea what you just made me feel" he said, smiling. She laughed and hugged him, before pulling back and sharing one great kiss, knowing that the two of them are soon to be husband and wife, knowing that no matter what they face in life, they will face it together.

**The End**

* * *

**AHHHHH! I'm literally crying. I didn't want them to get married cuz that will end my story. **

**A bit cliché, don't you think? Yeah, well, I loved writing this one! **

**I hope you guys like the story, thank you very much for your support. **

**Love you all, God bless. **

**Please tell everyone about this story and this pairing; hopefully we'll make them CANON!**

**UPDATE!**

**I made a sequel to this story under the name "Never Forgotten". Please read and review that as well. **


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